Dragneel's Little Dragon
by digemsmack
Summary: Just one mission, that's all it took to change the life of Natsu Dragneel in ways that he never would have guessed possible. Will the rowdiest and most childlike member of Fairy Tail be able to keep his promise to a dying mother. Better yet will Fairy Tail even give him the chance at keeping his promise? Disclaimer I do not own Fairy Tail.
1. It Changed Everything

Ch 1: It Changed Everything

A constant rain was coming down as a lone figure was seen walking through the woods. It was none other than the Salamander of Fairy Tail, but what stood out was that he was all by himself which almost never happened. He would usually be seen with his team and if he wasn't with them then he would at least be seen with Happy, but that was not the case today.

Why Natsu Dragneel was all by himself, he had been feeling like he needed to be alone for a while now so that he could figure out what's wrong with him. Recently he found out that the things that once brought him so much joy, such as starting guild brawls, where no longer doing that for him. If Natsu had to say when this started to happen to him it would have to be when he saw Igneel die right before his very eyes.

In that single moment he lost one of the main things that got him up in the morning, he lost one of his main purposes in life. A goal that he had since he was a little boy, the goal to find his father one day and show him how strong he had gotten over the years, but it seemed like a running theme for his life. That goal was taken away from him and he was once again completely helpless and could do nothing to prevent it.

So you could say that Natsu has been trying to find a new purpose for his life. He still knew that he would always be there to help his friends and family when they needed him, but that somehow wasn't enough for him, he needed something more. For a little while he contemplated going down the path of revenge and kill that dragon who took away his one goal in life. But then he remembered what both Igneel and Master Makarov said about revenge and gave up on that being his new goal. They both said that seeking revenge never brought happiness to you, all it does is bring more pain and suffering to the ones you care about.

So for the last few months Natsu has been trying to find a new purpose while acting like he was completely fine. And so far as he could tell, the only one to notice that he wasn't himself was Happy and Natsu could never really hide anything from his little buddy even if he wanted to. So Natsu confided in Happy hoping that he had some ideas of what he should do, of course Happy being Happy he suggested Natsu catching fish for him every day should be his new purpose. This cheered Natsu up for a bit, and Happy finally gave him a few real answers like becoming the strongest mage at Fairy Tail or even finding someone to spend the rest of his life with.

The last suggestion really threw Natsu off, since it came from Happy, but when Natsu thought about it for some reason it just felt like the wrong time for him to do that. As for trying to be the strongest mage at Fairy Tail, he thought that he might as well give that one a try. But Natsu quickly realized that he really didn't care about having such a title, he was perfectly fine with just being able to protect his friends when he needed to. He was able to become stronger while training but once again it just felt wrong, all of the other times that he would do intense training there would be a better reason behind it, rather than just going for the title of the strongest.

Which finally brings us to just two days ago when Natsu decided that he needed some alone time. So he grabbed the first flyer that he saw and took it to Mira to be approved, after which he asked Happy if he could do this one alone. Happy being the only one knowing what was going on with Natsu right now, agreed of course knowing that Natsu needed to sort this thing out for himself.

"Hey Mira have you noticed something off recently about Natsu?" asked Cana with her barrel place between her legs.

"Actually I have, but I am more surprised that you did Cana. So what did you notice?" asked Mira with a smirk.

"Okay first off Mira, wipe that smirk off of your face. Second, hey just cause it looks like I am always drunk doesn't mean that I actually am, I would wager that I know almost just as much as you about everyone here. Especially when I hear most of your secret conversations with members since you always assume that I am too drunk to remember." replied Cana with her own smirk while Mira's was soon replaced with an expression of shock.

"You sneaky little minx Cana, I had no idea that you were that clever. But you didn't answer my actual question." pointed out Mira.

"Oh yea I just took offence to your first statement. Natsu seems to have lost that spark that he once had, it's as if he is just going through the motions. For example he still start guild brawls but he doesn't smile like he used to, and that fiery passion is gone. And it could be just me here but he seems to be faking his smile a lot more recently, I at first thought that he would get over whatever is causing this but he keeps using that fake smile and it's becoming more frequent as time goes on." said Cana as she looked at the guild doors that Natsu exited through a few minutes earlier.

"No it's not just you Cana; I have seen all of those things as well. And I too thought that he would be able to get himself out of this weird funk that he is in. But it seems like it has only gotten worse especially after what I just saw happen today." replied Mira with a small frown.

"What just happened today, isn't he going on a mission with happy?" asked Cana looking at the barmaid wondering what Mira knows that she doesn't.

"Yes, but it's the mission that concerns me." responded Mira.

"Is it too hard for them to do alone?" asked Cana concerned that Natsu and Happy could be in danger.

"Actually it's the exact opposite Cana; the mission is so easy that Happy could do it alone with no problems. Natsu hasn't done a job that easy since his first week here, he always goes for ones that have a potential for numerous fights." answered Mira still frowning slightly.

"Mira I think that it might be worse than we both thought." said Cana with her eyes wide open.

"What makes you think that all of a sudden?" asked Mira raising an eyebrow at the guild drunk.

"Because Happy didn't go on that job with Natsu." replied Cana as she pointed at the blue cat that was trying to give Carla a fish.

"Oh no, this is really bad then, he has never done that. Not even when we all thought Lisanna died." said Mira with her hands in front of her mouth.

"Well I think that Happy might know what's going on since he is acting as if everything is normal. When normally he would be bawling his eyes out if Natsu tried to leave him behind." pointed out Cana.

"Good point Cana, hey Happy could you come here for a minute?" asked Mira with her beautiful smile.

"Aye sir." replied Happy as he flew over and then sat on the bar in front of Mira while Cana took the seat right behind Happy without him noticing.

"So Happy I am going to get straight to the point, what's wrong with Natsu?" asked Mira in a stern voice while still smiling.

"I don't know what you're talking about Mira." answered Happy nervously.

"Oh yes you do Happy, otherwise you would be freaking out about not being with Natsu right now." stated Mira.

"Did you hear that, someone needs me, well I have to go." said Happy now scared as he tried to take flight, but was hit on his head sending him back to his butt on the counter.

"Like we would let you get away that easily, and no one was calling for you Happy." stated Cana who was apparently the one to hit Happy on the head.

"You too?" asked Happy surprised that Cana apparently noticed the slight change in Natsu.

"Why are you that surprised?" asked Cana with a slightly pissed off expression.

"Well no offence Cana but aren't you always too drunk to remember anything?" asked Happy causing Mira to giggle at his no dancing around the topic way of talking, just like Natsu.

"No I am not Happy, because I have built up a tolerance." replied Cana now wanting to hit the cat again.

"Okay." was Happy's simple reply.

"So Happy, what's going on?" asked Mira getting the conversation back to where it should be.

"There is no way I am going to tell you one of Natsu's secrets." declared Happy as he looked away from Mira.

"Okay, well I guess I will have to throw away all of the fish that the guild has since no one here wants to eat them." replied Mira as she started to head towards the kitchen.

"I'll eat them Mira!" cheered Happy.

"Sorry Happy, but you didn't tell us what's wrong with Natsu. And we're only asking since we're his friends and want to help, but it appears that you don't think of us as friends. So why would I give the guilds supply of fish to someone who doesn't even consider us his friends?" asked Mira with her back still too Happy and Cana.

"That's not why I didn't tell you what's going on." replied Happy.

"Then why did you Happy, we only wanted to help Natsu?" asked Cana with a small smile.

"Because it's not something that anyone can help him with, believe me I have tried." answered Happy while shaking his tiny head.

"Why don't you let us be the judges on that?" asked Mira now looking at the cat with a pleading look on her face.

"Well since you guys only want to help him, but you have to promise me that you won't tell anyone else about this." demanded Happy with a serious face that neither of the women knew he was capable of.

"We promise Happy." replied both of them.

"Well, Natsu seems to have lost his purpose in life and is trying to find a new." said Happy as quietly as possible so that only Mira and Cana could hear him.

"How did that happen, I thought that he just wanted to be strong enough to protect everyone?" asked Mira thinking back to all of the times that Natsu was able to do just that, and most of the time it was when no one else could.

"He still wants to do that, but that was always a thing that he just did in order to reach his only goal he's ever had." explained Happy with a frown.

"And what goal is that?" asked Mira who at the moment wasn't really thinking.

"That would be reuniting with his father, I'm correct aren't I Happy?" asked Cana with a frown.

"Yes, and now that he can no longer do that he has lost his purpose. Everything that he has done up till now has been to help get him closer to that goal." replied Happy still frowning while Mira just wondered how she could have forgotten something like that about Natsu.

"And now that he can't do that, Natsu has lost his drive." said Mira who was now frowning with the other two.

"Yep and right when he was about to achieve that goal, Igneel died in front of him." replied Happy who looked like he was about to cry.

"How could we have not realized this sooner?" asked Mira who felt terrible that she didn't help Natsu after he lost his father. Even after he was the one that helped her when they thought Lisanna had died.

"Because that idiot is always willing to help others with their problems, but never wants to bother anyone else with his own so he has been acting like everything is alright." said Cana while shaking her head thinking about the pink haired idiot.

"Aye Sir." replied Happy but it lacked the joy that it usually did.

"Well why don't we try and help him come up with a new purpose in life, something like being the strongest at Fairy Tail that seems like something he might like?" asked Mira now trying to help Natsu in any way possible.

"I already suggested it to him, and he tried but quickly realized that he really didn't care about a title like that. And he also said that his training felt wrong for some reason like his heart wasn't in it." explained Happy.

"That makes sense when you think about it. Like you said earlier Happy, everything that he's done has always been so that someday he could be with his father again and show him how much he's grown. I know how that feels, but I was lucky enough to confront Gildarts and still get to see him every now and again. While Natsu on the other hand won't be able to every show his dad how much he has grown anymore, he was probably the only one that Natsu wanted to actually impress." explained Cana.

"But what about the rest of us, doesn't he want to impress Fairy Tail?" asked Mira.

"No, he has actually never cared about something like that as long as he was able to keep everyone safe. Since he always considers everyone here his family." replied Happy.

"But that doesn't make sense, since Igneel was definitely his family as well." stated Mira.

"True, but it's different when it's your father Mira. Especially when your father is a powerful dragon, I can somewhat relate since Gildarts is powerful as well, Natsu has probably been always wondering if he was good enough to be considered Igneel's son. And now that Igneel is gone, Natsu might start asking that question again, but this time he won't have Igneel to reassure him ever again." explained Cana since she was very similar to Natsu in some aspects.

"That's terrible, so what can we do to help him?" asked Mira.

"We can try to figure out a new purpose for him, but other than that Happy is correct. And we might just have to sit back and hope that Natsu can figure this out on his own." replied Cana.

"I guess you are probably right Cana, but how long have you had a thing for Natsu?" asked Mira with a sly grin.

"I don't have a thing for Natsu." denied Cana.

"Are you sure about that Cana, it sounds like you really understand him and are really concerned about him. Also you have been watching him intently for a while, otherwise you wouldn't have noticed anything wrong with him." pointed out Mira still grinning at Cana.

"We have just had somewhat similar experiences, and I have not been watching him intently. Anyways you also noticed that he wasn't normal, does that mean you have a thing for him as well?" asked Cana with a faint blush.

"Go ahead and keep denying it Cana, and as for your question maybe I do, is that a problem?" asked Mira with a smirk and left to go take orders from various guild members, leaving Cana and Happy alone.

"She doesn't, does she? Wait why do I even care if she likes Natsu?" asked Cana out loud as she got up to go to her usual table forgetting that Happy had been there the whole time.

"Natsu might not be ready for a relationship right now, but it looks like some others might be." thought Happy with a devious smirk already coming up with plans that he thought were genius, but were actually really stupid because they all involved fish.

 **Back to Natsu in the rain two days later:**

Natsu had just finished his job a few hours earlier; since it was such an easy job it only took him an hour to complete. But that didn't matter he had only taken this job so that he could be alone and think things through and not put on an act which was really tough and starting to wonder if it was worth it. He was now able to be himself and not cause all of his friends to start worrying about him. Natsu was in deep thought, wondering what the meaning of life really was when he all of a sudden smelt something burning.

This raised the alarm for Natsu since he really shouldn't have smelt something like that since it was raining, which made him even more concerned since the rain should have put out the fire. As Natsu got closer he smelt one of the smells that he hated, since it was possible to achieve with his magic and that was the scent of burning flesh and since he had enhanced sense he always could instantly smell it.

So he increased his speed so that he could hopefully get there and help out in any way possible. As he arrived on the scene he was shocked at what he was witnessing, right in front of him was a little farm settlement that was completely on fire and it was clear to him that this wasn't an accident. He took off towards the house to see if he could help anyone that might be trapped in there, and as he got close he saw something that caused him to stop.

Right in front of the house on the ground about ten yards way was a women crawling towards the house who looked like she should have died a long time ago. Her skin was ghostly white; probably do to the cold rain and her blood loss, which was another thing that Natsu noticed. The front of her yellow dress was now completely red from being drenched in her own blood from a wound that Natsu guessed was under her hand that was on her gut. She had other wounds as well a few cuts and bruises littered the rest of her exposed skin, but were hard to tell how many since she was covered in mud. The mud was everywhere it was so caked in her hair that Natsu couldn't tell what her hair color was, but that didn't matter right now, what did matter was what he could do for her.

"Hey Miss stop moving so I can help you." said Natsu as he knelt next to her.

"No need to save my daughters." said the woman as she continued to drag herself towards the burning house.

"Are you saying that your daughters are in there?" asked Natsu as he looked at the house that was burning intensely and looked alike it could collapse any minute now.

"Yes, I need to save them." replied the mother as she slowly moved toward the house, but then saw Natsu dashing towards the burning house.

Without a second thought Natsu rushed into the house as soon as he heard that there might still be someone still alive. The smoke made it so that he could barely see anything, but otherwise didn't affect him since smoke and fire go hand in hand and he was pretty much one with fire. As he did a quick scan he could tell that if the fire continued for much longer the whole place was going to collapse, so he did what he usually does when he's around fire that isn't his. And that was eat it, so Natsu started to suck in all of the fire that he could which was a sight to see as it all flew into his open mouth and was then gone in an instant.

This unfortunately didn't mean that he was completely scot free yet. This house could collapse any second now so with a justifiable sense of urgency Natsu started to search the house for any sign of life. He found and heard nothing in the first room so he moved onto the next which appeared to be the kitchen, but once again found nothing and moved on. The next room looked like a bed room and unfortunately Natsu found the corpse of what he could only assume was the husband and father. He then had the urge to throw up since the husbands body was burnt meaning that some of the fire Natsu just ate was burning the man moments ago, but once again Natsu knew that didn't matter right now.

So he moved on to the next room which was the bathroom and it was empty just like the first two rooms. Natsu was starting to lose hope in finding the daughters, but he knew that he had to continue because there was still a small chance that he could find them. He opened the door to the next room and his heart dropped because this was most definitely the children's room by the décor, but what made his heart do that was the ceiling of this room had collapsed and there was rubble everywhere.

Natsu was about to leave and tell the poor mother outside that he was too late, when all of a sudden he heard a faint cough. Thanks to his great hearing he knew where it came from, so with great care he made his way over to the pile of rubble and started to clear it away as fast and carefully as possible. After a minute he cleared it away and found a girl that was probably six years on her hands and knees, curled on top of something in a protective position, obviously trying to save whatever was underneath her.

Natsu carefully pulled her out along with whatever she was protecting. Then placed the small girl down who was wearing a blue floral dress on the part of the bed that wasn't buried underneath rubble. And just when he was about to tell her everything was okay he realized that she too was already dead just like her father, but most likely died from the ceiling falling on her. Natsu couldn't deal with this right now; he had never been good at handling death whenever he encounter it. He would always blame himself for it, if he had just been faster or stronger or didn't take no for an answer he could have saved the person that died, and this was another one of those times.

He was about to go outside and destroy the forest in rage of his shortcomings and failures, but once again heard that little cough. He then looked at the bundle of cloth that the little girl was protecting and remembered the mother said daughters, meaning more than one, how he could have been so stupid as to forget such an important detail he didn't know. Natsu then carefully removed the small bundle from the dead girls clutches and looked at it once it was in his hands, in the middle of the cloth was a little face of a baby looking up at him with big eyes as a few drops of rain fell on her face.

Seeing this Natsu quickly slipped off his vest while swearing at himself in his head for being so stupid, and covered the little baby so that the rain wouldn't get to her. Natsu then quickly made his way back outside to bring the little girl to her mother, but once he got to the door way he saw that the mother was still trying to get to the house. So he made his way to her, hating that he was going to be the one that had to tell her the horrible news.

"Miss I have some good news and really bad news as well." said Natsu as he knelt down beside her with the baby still underneath his vest.

"They're dead aren't they?" asked the mother as she looked into Natsu's eyes.

"Unfortunately I came too late and for that I am sorry, your husband and eldest daughter died. But she gave her life to protect her little sister, even though she was so young." replied Natsu in complete defeat that he wasn't able to save all of them as he handed over the baby to the mother. He then quickly took the vest off of the baby and held it above the mother and child so that the rain wouldn't get them.

"My little bundle of joy, I can't believe that Leah was able to save you." said the mother with a faint smile as she looked at her baby.

"I am so sorry, that I couldn't be of more help." said Natsu who was having a hard time keeping his emotions in check.

"Sorry, what do you have to be sorry for, you didn't cause this, and without you my baby would have died as well?" asked the mother as she looked up at Natsu and could see how hurt he was by not being able to save her husband and other daughter.

"If I had just come sooner I could have saved them also." replied Natsu who was about to cry.

"Young man, you can't expect to be able to save everyone and I am pretty sure that you know this and are just choosing to not accept it. What you need to focus on are those that you have saved and because of you they get to keep on living which is a miracle in its own way." said the Mother now looking at her bady.

"You're right Lady, now let's see about getting you to a doctor to get you fixed up." replied Natsu with a small smile and no longer looking like he was about to cry.

"There's no need for that Mr. ..?" said the mother as she smiled down her baby.

"It's Natsu, there's no need for Mr. and what are you talking about, look at you of course you need a doctor. I am actually surprised that you are still able to move and talk with me." said Natsu.

"Natsu it's like you said, I shouldn't be able to talk much less move. So it is already too late for a doctor to save me." replied the mother as she looked at Natsu once again straight in his eyes.

"Come on don't talk like that, your daughter still needs you so you can't go dying on her." said Natsu who was again was close to tears as the conversation was once again dark.

"That's the only reason I am still going right now Natsu. There's just one last thing that I have to do for her before I die and that is to ensure that she has a good life, so I am going to ask you something and I know that it is a lot to ask from someone who has already done so much for me and my family." said the mother still looking directly into his eyes.

"What is it, I am willing to do whatever it is as long as it helps." replied Natsu.

"Let me ask before you agree to it Natsu." stated the mother with a slight smile.

"Okay so what is it that you need me to do?" asked Natsu.

"Natsu I need you to promise me that you will take my daughter with you and raise her as your own. I can already tell that if you agree to this that you will protect her with everything that you've got and will love and care for as much as we would have. It's just who you are Natsu, I was able to see that when I first looked into your eyes, you are just to caring sometimes for your own good." said the Mother with a caring smile as she and Natsu just looked at each other for a few more minutes.

"I promise that she will be raised as if she was my actual daughter." said Natsu with no stuttering or anything else that would convey doubt.

"You have no idea how happy you just made me Natsu, but I have one more request. Could you also promise me that you will never tell her about this, there is no need for her to ever know that the rest of her family died making her the only survivor?" asked the mother as it was now becoming harder for her to talk.

"Why would you not want her to know that her family died to protect her?" asked Natsu not understanding this weird last request.

"You can tell her that, but just don't tell her all of the details of this day. Please just promise me that you will do that for me Natsu?" asked the mother as she got closer to her final moments.

"I will but you have to tell me who did this to your family." demanded Natsu.

"All that I can tell you Natsu is that they are very evil people, but now that they think that we are all dead she will be safe. And if not, then you will be able to protect her Natsu, so will that be enough for you to promise me that you won't tell her?" asked the mother with pleading eyes directed towards him.

"I promise that I will never tell her about the details of this day." said Natsu once again conveying that he was serious.

"You and my bundle of joy here have just made my last moment on this world a happy one." said the mother as she looked at her baby with a fond smile.

"So what is her name?" asked Natsu, wanting to keep the mother talking so that he knew she was still alright. But she remained quiet and continued to look at her daughter with that motherly smile.

"Hey lady can you her me?" asked Natsu now getting worried.

"Lady this isn't the time to joke." said Natsu once again not wanting to accept the fact that she was now dead. He then reached over and instantly knew that she had passed on, so he picked up the baby and was about to leave when he thought of something. So he set her down gently under a nearby with his vest still over top of her so that she wouldn't wet and set to work on something that he really didn't want to do.

But he made a promise that he was going to protect that baby with his life which means that he had to do this. He went to the mother and drug her into the entry way of the house and then looked for some matches, since there was no way in hell he was going to use his magic for something like this. Once he found some he quickly started four different fires around the house ensuring that the whole place would burn down.

"If what she said was true I needed to make sure that they believed that everyone died so they won't come looking for the baby. And this was the easiest and best way to achieve that even if it makes me sick to my stomach, but I will not let anything hurt that baby." thought Natsu as he looked at the house that was once again on fire, but this time it was going to keep burning and cover up the fact that the youngest daughter of this family was indeed still alive.

After that he went to the baby and picked her up and checked to see if she was still alright. She was just sleeping as if nothing happened which is to be expected of a baby that if he had to guess was only five months old. This brought him a small piece of joy that he hadn't felt in a long time which made him smile at the little baby in his arms.

"We better get out of this rain, I wouldn't want my little dragon to get sick now would I?" asked Natsu as he smiled at the baby that was sleeping peacefully. And Natsu headed towards the nearest town as fast as he could without disturbing the baby so that Natsu could get her some food and a place to stay out of the rain.

 **End of Chapter**

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Thanks for reading and I hope that you all enjoyed it. So as some know I said that I was going to write this one by Saturday but I was able to finish it sooner. Now I already have plans on what Natsu is going to name the baby and what hair color she's going to have. But sometimes there is a better idea out there which is why I am going to ask for your opinion and if I really like one of them I will use it, that's about it for random stuff. So as always feel free to leave me a review.**

 **Until the next Chapter**

 **Digem Out!**


	2. The Guild Finds Out

Ch 2: The Guild Finds Out

Natsu went into the first open store that he could find while walking the streets of Onibus to get out of the rain. He was hoping that they would have or be able to tell him where to get some baby supplies. So with that in mind he went to the front counter where an elderly lady was sitting behind it reading a magazine.

"Hello, I was wondering do you happen to sell any baby food or cloths?" asked Natsu as he gently rocked her in his arms.

"Sorry Sir but we do not carry any of that stuff here." she replied as watched Natsu rocking the baby back and forth.

"Do you know of a place that does sell those kinds of things?" asked Natsu while not even looking at the lady because all of his focus was on the baby in his arms.

"Yes I do, and does this happen to be your first time having the kid to yourself?" asked the elderly lady with a knowing smile.

"It is, but how did you know that?" asked Natsu once again not taking his eyes off of the baby.

"Well what first give it away was you came into my store asking for things that you already should have had. Second is that you won't even take your eyes off of the child." replied the elderly women with a big smile.

"Sorry about that and I really didn't plan on having her, which is why I don't have any of that stuff yet." explained Natsu as he looked up at the elderly lady for a few seconds.

"Don't worry about not looking at me, it just means you are really concerned about your daughter. So did her mother just drop her off at your place without giving you a heads up?" asked the lady with a little concern in her voice.

"I guess you could say that, but it was definitely a little more complicated than her just not telling me about dropping her off on me." said Natsu with a sad smile.

"Oh, I am so sorry to hear that." said the elderly lady assuming that Natsu didn't even know about the child until the mother just dropped her off at his place today.

"Its fine, so about that place that sells the stuff that I will need for her?" asked Natsu as he gave her a quick pleading look for held and then went back to watching the baby.

"You really were just thrown into this weren't you Mr.?" asked the elderly lady.

"It's Natsu Dragneel but you can just call me Natsu, and yes I was just thrown into this. I know the very basics but nothing else." replied Natsu with a sheepish grin.

"Alright Natsu and you can call me Clare, now I think that it is my duty as your elder to give you a crash course on the fundamentals of taking care of a child and what you will need to buy for her." said the elderly lady with a big smile.

"You would really do that for me Clare?" asked Natsu as he gave her a quick glance.

"Of course I would help out such a young and caring father as you Natsu. So what is her name?" asked Clare as she looked at the baby in Natsu's arms.

"Actually her mother didn't tell me that, I also don't even know how old she is." stated Natsu once again with a sheepish grin.

"Wow she really did just leave the kid and run didn't she, well that doesn't matter right now. And I would say that she looks to be about five months old and I guess you get to name her." said Clare while thinking what kind of mother would do that, as far as she could tell Natsu looked like a kind and caring man. He definitely didn't look like the type of man that would get a woman pregnant and just leave her, but none of that was her business and all she could do now was help Natsu out with some of her knowledge.

"Yea that is one way of putting it, and I really don't know what to call her. I have just been referring to her as my little dragon." replied Natsu with a smile, while thinking that the actual mother of this child would have never done what Clare was assuming. But he had to let her think that so she wouldn't start asking questions about his little dragon.

"Don't worry Natsu you'll know her name once you think of it. Right now you are probably still a little bit in shock of learning that you are now a father." said Clare as she wondered why his name sounded familiar after hearing his nickname for the little girl.

"I'll have to trust you on that one Clare, so if you are still willing to teach me I am all ears right now." said Natsu with a big grin.

"Like I said earlier Natsu, I feel obligated to help out the next generation whenever I can. So let me just close the store and we can talk while we go to the store I was talking about and start getting the things that you will need for her." replied Clare with a big smile.

"Oh no you don't have to do that, I would hate for you to lose business because you're helping me." said Natsu who really didn't want to do that to Clare after her being so kind and helpful to him.

"What business Natsu, and I highly doubt that anyone else will come while it's still raining." stated Clare as she gestured to the empty store.

"As long as you are completely okay with it, I really don't want to be a bother." replied Natsu.

"Oh this won't be, and none of my children were ever willing to listen to my advice. So it is great to be able to pass it on to someone else at least." said Clare as she got out an umbrella and headed towards the front doors.

"I mean no offence by this, but your kids were stupid to not listen to your advice. I mean it never hurts to listen and if you don't like the advice you don't have to use it." said Natsu as they exited the store and stood under the awning.

"HAHAHA none taken Natsu, and just you wait, that little girl will probably fight you every chance she gets when she becomes a teen. But don't worry that only lasts for a little while and she'll become your sweet little girl again." said Clare as she locked the doors to her store.

"That doesn't sound very fun." replied Natsu as he walked with Clare down the street under her umbrella.

"It won't be and trust me on this, she is going to cause you so much trouble, headaches, pain, and worry that you will wonder why you are even doing this. But none of that will compare to how much joy and happiness that you will get from raising her, she'll eventually become your biggest joy in the world and your main purpose will become making her happy." said Clare with a fond smile on her lips.

"I think that she already has." whispered Natsu with a big smile as he looked at the baby still sleeping peacefully in his arms. Clare heard Natsu's whisper and it made her extremely happy that she was going to help out such a caring father when he really needed it, once again questioning why a woman would ever leave such a man.

"Okay Natsu, I might as well start telling you some of the basic things that I learned while raising my children. But I also have to remind you that every kid is different so some of the tricks that I tell you might not work for her." explained Clare as then continued to share her wisdom with Natsu.

 **Three hours later:**

"Thank you so much Clare." said Natsu as they were in the streets outside of the store that he just purchased a lot of things for his new daughter.

"No need to thank me Natsu, just glad to help. Now you still have that list of things you need to buy once you get back to Magnolia right?" asked Clare in a motherly way.

"Yes I do along with your notes about a whole bunch of other things, which is why I am so grateful to you Clare." replied Natsu with a big smile.

"Well if you really want to do something for me as a show of gratitude Natsu. Then how about stopping by with her every once in a while. Nothing would make this old lady happier than seeing that little girl grow up into a fine young lad just like fine young father." said Clare with a big smile.

"Then it's a deal Clare, anytime we are in the area we'll swing by." said Natsu with a big grin.

"I can't wait, well goodbye Natsu and Natsu's daughter." said Clare with a big smile and gave them a wave as she headed off to her store.

"Bye grandma Clare." replied Natsu with a smirk and heard Clare start laughing as she continued on.

"Okay my little dragon, let's get you to a hotel so we can get some sleep even though you have been doing that for most of the day." said Natsu as he pushed the stroller while carrying a lot of bags towards the only hotel in town.

He bought a room for the night and once in it he consolidated all of the things that he bought today into as few bags as possible making it easier for him to carry. That's when the baby started to cry which caused him to start panicking but remembered that Clare said this was normal and all he needed to do was figure out why she started to cry. As he made his way over to her, who was still in the stroller, he instantly knew why thanks to his enhanced sense of smell.

"Wow that is one of the worst smells I have ever smelt." said Natsu as he got her out of the stroller as she continued to cry.

"Shh it's okay baby girl, daddy will have you all cleaned up in a few seconds here." said Natsu while finding it weird calling himself daddy. As he got the girl out of the bundle that she had always been in up till now, Natsu was shocked to see that her hair was the same color as his. For some reason that made him really happy, maybe because this would make him no longer the only one in Magnolia that has salmon hair, but he really didn't care why it made him happy. He was just glad to start feeling happy again even if it was over something as trivial as the hair color of his daughter.

Natsu then changed the diaper on the little girl which was really hard for him to do since the smell was so bad. But he had to do it since on one else was going to do it for him and it needed to be done. After doing that she stopped crying and actually gave him a little smile and then started to make noises at him, once again causing Natsu to feel really happy about agreeing to take her and raising her as his own. Natsu then decided that he might as well put her into one of the onesies that he had gotten for her today, which was a plain red one.

"There you go daddy's little dragon, now you aren't smelly." said Natsu in a baby voice that he had heard other parents use while talking to their babies.

"But daddy can't keep calling you his little dragon now can he?" asked Natsu as he started to lightly play with her tummy causing her to smile up at him.

"Well aren't you a happy little dragon." said Natsu causing her to smile up at him with a bigger smile.

"You like that nickname don't you, daddy's little dragon?" asked Natsu with a huge grin as she smiled up at him while trying to reach up at him.

"You want me to hold you don't you." said Natsu as he picked her up and brought her up to his chest, once there she grabbed his scarf and started to suck on it while resting her head on his shoulder.

"You're lucky that you're my little girl now, otherwise doing that to my scarf would mean war." said Natsu with a big smile on his face as he watched her play with the scarf in her mouth.

"So now back to what your name should be, how about Amelia Dragneel?" asked Natsu trying to see if that sounded right when said out loud while looking at his daughter for a reaction which she gave none.

"Okay looks like you just like me on that one, so let's put that in the maybe list. So what do you think about Natsa Dragneel?" asked Natsu with a big smile on his face since it was pretty much his own face. But his daughter actually frowned after hearing the name.

"Well I'll take that as a no then, which is probably for the best since it was too close to my own name. So how do like the name Akari Dragneel, which means brightness?" asked Natsu while looking at the little girl who just smiled at that name.

"So another maybe, so what's your opinion on Seika Dragneel?" asked Natsu still looking to see how she reacts to the name. She smiled really big at that one which made Natsu to start laughing.

"You are going to be just like me aren't you, because Seika means sacred flame and you are just like your daddy and like anything with flame in it don't you?" asked Natsu while tickling her little tummy causing her to start giggling and drop his scarf. Which she didn't like at all and tried to reach for it but her little arms couldn't get it.

"Here you go, can't let daddy's little dragon not have her new favorite toy now can I?" asked Natsu as he sat down on the bed with her.

"Man who would have thought picking a name for a kid could be so tough." stated Natsu as he sat their trying to come up with new names for her.

"What about the name Aine, it means fire of joy or how about Ember?" asked Natsu looking at her hoping to get some reaction out of her.

"Looks like you are done with this aren't you?" asked Natsu as he looked at her with a loving smile.

"I bet you're hungry aren't you?" asked Natsu as he went to put her down in her stroller. But as he was placing her down she started to look like she was going to cry.

"Okay settle down daddy won't put you down I guess, even though this is going to make getting your bottle a lot harder." said Natsu as he brought her back to her old position making her smile again.

"You're going to be a daddy's girl aren't you?" asked Natsu grinning back at her.

"Well actually right now that is all you really can be." stated Natsu as he got out the formula milk and went about preparing it, making sure that it wasn't too hot or too cold just like Clare told him to. He then proceeded to offer the bottle to the little girl, who at first didn't know what it was, but once she tasted it she pretty much attacked it.

"HAHAHA I really don't understand it but you are really similar to me, maybe it's the hair?" asked Natsu as he chuckled to himself at his daughter who looked as if she loved food as much as he did. He had to make her another one because after the first one was done she started to cry since she wanted more.

"Well now that you've eaten how about we go to sleep?" asked Natsu knowing that she couldn't answer him but asked her anyways knowing that was how she was going to learn to speak.

"Here you go my little dragon, I know it's not a crib but it will have to do for now." said Natsu as he placed her in the stroller and was about to leave when she started to cry.

"Hey what is it honey?" asked Natsu as he went through a mental check list of what it could be. It wasn't her needing a new diaper; he would have smelled that right away. There was no way that she could still be hungry after having those two bottles which made him start to worry that she might have already gotten sick.

They were outside in the rain a lot longer than he wanted to but he didn't have a choice in that matter. So Natsu quickly scooped her up in one arm and used his other hand to check her temperature. But he was shocked to see her stop crying before he even got to check her forehead for her temperature. He then realized that he forgot about another reason that she might start crying, Clare said that sometimes they just want attention and to be held.

"Yep you are definitely a daddy's girl already aren't you my little dragon?" said Natsu as he sat down on the bed with his back against the head board. As he watched his little daughter snuggled up against his warm body.

"Don't worry daddy's never going to leave you as long as you want him with you." said Natsu with a big smile.

"Even if you don't, daddy's going to be watching over you because you are the most precious thing that your daddy has. He also made a promise to your mother that he is going to keep no matter what. She was an extraordinary woman that wouldn't stop until she knew that her little bundle of joy was going to be safe." said Natsu with a sad smile as he thought about how he got his daughter. He really wished that he could have gotten her a different way, one that was happier but as Natsu has already learned the hard way. The world rarely lets it happen the easy way, at least not for him that is.

He just sat there watching her fall to sleep in his arms while holding onto his scarf. After he was sure that she was asleep he went back over to her stroller so that he could lay her back down and hopefully get some sleep since he knew that tomorrow was going to be a busy day for him. As he was putting her down to sleep he noticed that she got an unpleasant expression on her face the farther away from him she was. So he brought her right back to her old spot and her face returned to that of a peaceful expression, so he once again went to place her down and she did it again but Natsu thought that she would be fine as soon as she was in her stroller.

Man was he wrong as soon as he set her down she woke up and started to cry really loudly. Making Natsu instantly pick her back up and try to calm her down, with some soft comforting words while rocking her back and forth. It took him another half hour to get her back to sleep and he was about to attempt it again when he realized that she was probably attached to his body heat that he naturally give off.

"We are definitely going to have to teach you to sleep in your own bed my little dragon. But for now it will be fine." said Natsu as he got into the most comfortable position he could get into while sitting with his daughter in his arms.

"Goodnight and sleep tight Akari Joy Dragneel." said Natsu with a big smile since it just seemed right when he said her full name and he could have sworn that she smiled too, but he might have been seeing things since he was now surprisingly tired. Natsu slowly drifted off to sleep with that smile never leaving his face as his daughter slept blissfully in his arms as he too slept for the first time since having his daughter.

Natsu awoke to his daughter starting to cry in his arms because of her having gone to the bathroom again. So Natsu quickly fixed that for her and decided to give her a very quick and gentle bath in the sink, which he was surprised that she didn't cry about and attributed it to him having the water being at the right temperature while also being extremely gentle with her. After her bath Natsu put her into a different onesie and gave her a bottle while he packed up their belongings and then headed to the train station.

Natsu really didn't want to use it, but once again he was going to suffer through it so that he wouldn't have to walk all the way back to Magnolia with her. He wouldn't have minded at all, but he was already thinking about how doing that would have been more dangerous for Akari than ridding a train. He got his own compartment and started to play with Akari and a stuffed dragon that he got her waiting for the train to start moving. The next thing he knew the announcer said that they would be arriving at Magnolia soon, Natsu then looked at Akari with a huge smile.

"Look at you Akari, thanks to you daddy didn't get sick on this stupid train. It was all thanks to you, that daddy didn't even notice the train moving." said Natsu as he gently hugged his daughter as she let out a little giggle. Natsu tried to put Akari in the stroller but she became quite adamant that she wanted to be held by him. So Natsu who somehow had already become wrapped around his daughter's finger put most of the things he bought for her in it and carried her and rest of the bags while pushing the stroller in front of him as he exited the train.

Natsu quickly made his way through the town not liking the weird looks that everyone was giving him and his daughter. This only made him go a little faster, but stopped when he noticed a store that he didn't even know existed in Magnolia and quickly went inside. It was of course a store that had all of the other things that he was going to need to take care of Akari, and bought the remaining things off of the list Clare made for him. Having completed that Natsu wished the woman at the front counter a good day and left with Akari and the stroller that was just barely able to hold everything and headed straight home.

"Man I forgot how dirty I usually leave this place, see this Akari." said Natsu as he gestured to the dirty living room and kitchen.

"Daddy used to not care, but now that he has his little dragon he's never going to let it happen again. And that also goes for when you get older Akari, daddy isn't going to let his daughter be a slob like he was." said Natsu with a big grin as he poked her little tummy causing her to giggle.

"Now daddy needs to set you down Akari so he can do some real cleaning." Natsu told her as he went to set her down on the couch but saw that once again she didn't like it.

"What am I going to do with you little missy?" asked Natsu with a small smile, happy that she was already attached to him. He was initially concerned that she might not like him since she was a sleep for most of the time at the beginning of yesterday.

"Here, how about daddy gives you his scarf to play with while he cleans." said Natsu as he took it off and wrapped it around her very loosely and went to put her down and was surprised to see that she didn't start crying. She wasn't happy about it, he could tell that much but she wasn't crying and Natsu could deal with that because he really needed to clean up his place.

So for the next eight hours Natsu cleaned his house while never taking his eyes off of Akari for more than a few seconds. That along with the few times that he would stop to play with her or feed her, caused Natsu to take forever to clean up the place. After which he started to set up her stuff in his room while holding her the whole time, because in his opinion she was a really good girl for him and deserved to be rewarded. As he was just finishing putting the crib together he heard Happy come home and then didn't hear anything which was really odd, considering the cat was usually always saying things about fish and how Natsu needs to get him more.

"Oh no we've been robbed!" shouted Happy all of a sudden causing Natsu to smile and chuckle.

"Calm down Happy, we haven't been robbed." said Natsu as he came out of their room holding Akari in one arm as she played with his scarf.

"Then way are all of our things gone Natsu?" asked Happy as he gestured to the now clean house.

"AHAHAH, Happy all of that stuff was just garbage that I needed to get rid of while I cleaned." replied Natsu while chuckling at his little buddy.

"Oh no, it's way worse than I thought. Where's the real Natsu, he would never have cleaned and then been happy about it afterwards?" accused Happy as he pointed a finger at Natsu while taking a step back, still not noticing what Natsu had in his arms.

"Settle down Happy, it's most definitely me and I can prove it by listing the four most important things to you." replied Natsu with a grin.

"Then prove it, only Natsu knows the correct order." declared Happy still not letting his guard down.

"There's the order from the top going down in importance; Carla, Fish, Me and Fairy Tail." answered Natsu with a smirk.

"Okay I guess it's the real Natsu, but why did you clean, did Erza threaten you again?" asked Happy concerned that Erza was being mean to him while he was going through a really hard time in his life.

"No nothing like that Happy, and I am still kind of hurt that fish still out ranks me." replied Natsu with a fake hurt expression.

"Sorry Natsu but you aren't better than the best food in the world." declared Happy.

"But Carla is?" asked Natsu with a grin.

"Of course she is Natsu, she's the prettiest thing that I have ever seen." said Happy with a slightly creepy smile.

"AHAH you are never going to change are you Happy?" asked Natsu.

"Why should I Natsu, look at how awesome I already am." said Happy as he started to flex which caused Akari to let out a little giggle while trying to grab Happy even though he was nowhere near her. But her little giggle finally alerted Happy of her existence.

"Natsu why do you have a baby?" shouted Happy as he took flight and backed away from Natsu and the baby.

"Because she is my daughter Happy, Happy I would like you to meet Akari Joy Dragneel and she is the reason that I cleaned our place." replied Natsu with a big smile while Akari was now really trying hard to grab the cat that was now flying.

"But how, you don't even have a girlfriend?" pointed out Happy as he noticed that the girl had the same hair color as Natsu.

"Well that's because she isn't my biological daughter Happy, and she really wants to meet you." replied Natsu with a grin.

"But you two have the same hair color." said Happy as he went up to Akari and reached out his paw for a handshake which Akari grabbed with both of her hands.

"That was just a random coincidence Happy." stated Natsu while rolling his eyes at his friend.

"Oh no does that mean you kidnapped her?" asked Happy as he flew away from them not wanting get in trouble if Natsu did kidnap the girl. Akari did not like Happy's abrupt departure and started to cry making Natsu ignore Happy's question and focus on Akari and calming her down. It only took him about fifteen minutes to do that, during which Happy thought that it might be a good idea to tell the guild about Natsu kidnapping a baby girl.

"No I didn't kidnap her Happy. Do you really think that I would do that to a kid, especially after never having a real family for myself?" asked Natsu with a pissed off expression sent towards Happy, making Happy realize that he was really stupid for assuming that. Like Natsu said, he would never do anything to ruin someone else's family since that was one of the few things that Natsu really wished that he had while growing up.

"Sorry Natsu I just let my imagination run away there. So how did you get her if you didn't kidnap her and she's not actually yours?" asked Happy now sitting on the table.

"I really can't go into details but her mother entrusted her to me with her last dying words. She made me promise her that I would raise her as my own and that is what I plan to do." replied Natsu now no longer having that pissed off look and was sporting a big smile as he looked down at his daughter.

"Why can't you go into details about it?" asked Happy with a concerned look.

"Because I also promised her mother that Akari here would never learn about what really happened to her family. That means I can't tell anyone else about it, since that would cause there to be a chance that she could find out through someone other than me." explained Natsu with a sad smile.

"So it was really bad?" asked Happy.

"Yea it was buddy, but her whole family died protecting her and making sure that she would be looked after. Meaning that her family truly loved her with all their hearts and I am going to make sure that she knows that and is proud that her family loved her that much. And I too already love her that much Happy, I know it sounds strange that I could love her that much already but I do." said Natsu with a loving smile directed towards Akari.

"That isn't strange to me at all Natsu, you did the same thing when I was born." replied Happy, who was glad to see that Natsu was indeed happy right now, happier than he had been in a really long time.

"You're the best Happy." said Natsu smiling at the little blue cat that has always been there for him.

"And don't you forget it, but what are we going to tell the guild?" asked Happy realizing that they were eventually going to find out and he really didn't know if they were going to be as accepting as he was.

"I really don't know what to tell you Happy, except for that I probably won't be going there for a while." responded Natsu.

"So what do you want me to tell them then?" asked Happy knowing that they were going to ask questions.

"Tell them that I am sick or just need some alone time for a bit. I still need to figure out how to tell them about her because some of them won't accept me keeping the details hidden." replied Natsu while shaking his head.

"Don't worry Natsu, they won't get anything out of me and I promise on all of the fish in the world." declared Happy which actually surprised Natsu because that was the biggest way for Happy to promise something.

"I knew I could count on you buddy, do you want to help me make the rest of our place baby proof?" asked Natsu with a big grin.

"Aye Sir!" cheered Happy, glad that the old happy Natsu seemed to be back and he was determined to keep him.

 **One week later at the Fairy Tail guild hall:**

"Happy we know that you know more than what you're telling us, so what is going on with Natsu?" asked Erza with a tied up Happy in her hands.

"I am not telling you anything other than he wants to not be bothered right now." declared a Happy who wasn't even affected by Erza's glare which made everyone even more concerned about Natsu if Happy was willing to go through this for him.

"Happy we're once again just concerned about him, he hasn't once come back to the guild after his last mission." stated Mira with a concerned look since she learned about him losing his purpose and trying to find a new one.

"I know, but trust me Mira he's fine, he's actually a lot better than when he left for the mission." replied Happy confusing the rest of the guild because they didn't know that Natsu wasn't fine before the mission.

"What does that mean Happy, are you saying that he wasn't fine before the mission?" asked a concerned Lucy.

"Crap none of you were supposed to know that, but it doesn't matter now since he's better." replied Happy.

"Happy tell me now or else." threatened Erza while growling a little bit at the cat.

"Do whatever you want to me Erza, I will not betray Natsu on this one. Also I am pretty sure that if you do hurt me he will be furious to learn that it happened for no good reason." declared Happy with a smug grin.

"Why you little." replied Erza getting ready to hurt the cat just to get that grin off of his face.

"Erza stop, he has a point. If Natsu wants to be alone right now and your response to that is beating up Happy. I can only imagine how Natsu would respond to that, and I know that it won't be pretty." said Master Makarov.

"Sorry Master, I'm just concerned about Natsu. It's not like him to not even show up to the guild even once for a whole week." said Erza as she dropped Happy on the table.

"Hey you could have at least untied me before you did that!" shouted out an angry Happy.

"Quite Happy." replied Erza with a glare as Lucy untied the now scared cat.

"Happy you wouldn't mind telling us what's going on with Natsu if we gave you all of these fish?" asked Cana as she and Mira came out of the kitchen with two huge trays stacked high with fish, which caused Happy to start drooling.

"See Erza, there's better ways to get information than just using force." said Mira with a smirk, causing Erza to glare back at the barmaid with anger.

"Nope not even if you gave me all of the fish in Magnolia, even the whole world's supply of fish wouldn't get me to talk." declared Happy causing most of the guild to fall out of their chairs in disbelief. Happy on numerous occasions sold Natsu out for just a single fish, but right now even fish wouldn't work on the cat.

"Now I am really concerned." said Wendy.

"I would never have guessed Happy to turn down fish." said Carla while shaking her head with a faint smile.

"Master now do you see how serious this is, oh and Mira good job at getting answers." said Erza giving Mira a smug smirk.

"Master this is really serious." stated Mira not caring that Erza just threw a jab at her.

"Wow I don't think I have ever seen Happy turn down fish." stated Cana.

"He hasn't for as long as I have known him." replied Lucy.

"Why are you guys making such a big deal about this, so what Natsu needs some alone time and his cat is finally not betraying him for fish." said Laxus from the second level.

"Hey I have never betrayed Natsu for fish, he knows how important fish are to me." replied Happy.

"Whatever, but I think you should all just leave him alone and respect his personal life. For all we know he might have a girlfriend right now." said Laxus as he walked out of sight.

"No why does Flame Brain have a girlfriend." declared Grey.

"I don't think it would really be that hard for him to get one Grey, just think about all that he's done. That alone would make him able to almost get one without even trying." said Levy.

"Shrimps right on that one, I mean Salamander actually has a fan club gii hii." replied Gajeel from his spot next to Levy.

"He also is pretty attractive." said Cana out loud not really thinking about what she said, while most of the girls nodded their heads in agreement.

"He's also really manly!" shouted Elfman who was then quickly hit by Evergreen with her fan.

"He's also very kind and caring, always putting others before himself." said Mira.

"Not to mention that he is extremely loyal almost to a fault." stated Erza.

"What the hell is going on here did all of you women join his fan club?" asked Grey who really didn't like that they were saying such nice things about his rival.

"No we didn't Grey; we were just showing you that Natsu could easily have a girlfriend. And probably a pretty hot one at that, not as hot as me of course but probably right beneath my level." replied Lucy causing a few members to wonder how hot she thought she was.

"Whatever guys, but if you are all so concerned about him or think that he might have a girlfriend that he's hiding from us. Why don't you all just go over to his place and see for yourself?" asked Grey.

"That is a good idea Grey, why didn't I think of it?" asked Erza.

"Because you were too busy trying to beat up Happy." replied Mira with a grin.

"Yea why don't we go and see what's up with him." said Lucy with a sly grin wanting to know what this mystery girl looked like.

"But what about respecting Natsu's privacy?" asked Romeo who looked at the Master for help.

"I really wonder what she looks like, judging from who Natsu hangs out with I bet she's smoking hot." said Master Makarov with a devious grin on his face.

"Well looks like Masters on board with us just going over there." said Cana with a big grin.

"Do you really think he has a girlfriend?" asked Macao.

"It seems like he easily could, especially after most of the women here saying those nice traits about him." replied Wakaba with a grin.

"I bet he's just sulking for no good reason." stated Grey.

"Hey why don't we all place bets on why he's staying away from guild before we head on over there." suggested Cana with a big grin, since she always gets a good cut whenever they have big bets like this.

"Great idea Cana, I bet he has a girlfriend who is as hot as Mira." declared Master Makarov not realizing that Mira was right behind him with an evil expression on her face. Mira started to deal with their perverted Master while the rest of the guild started to make their bets, and once they were all done placing them they got up to leave but Happy was blocking the door.

"Wait a minute everyone, this has gotten way out of hand." declared Happy while still trying to block the door.

"Yea because you wouldn't tell us what's going on." declared Erza angrily.

"Fine, since it was my fault let me have one hour to go and bring Natsu back with me. If I can't do that then you can all go to our place and ask him yourselves." suggested Happy hoping that they would listen to him.

"Why would we do that when we could figure out right now?" asked Grey, but before Happy could answer Cana beat him to it.

"We can have another bet on if Happy will be able to actually bring Natsu back." suggested Cana which was easily agreed upon. Just as Happy was about to leave he mouthed the words Thanks You to Cana, and she just smirked and waved him off with one of her hand.

 **At Natsu's and Happy's:**

Natsu was just playing with Akari like he had been doing for most of the previous days. Which didn't include a lot since Akari really couldn't move right now. But Natsu still spent the whole day entertaining her with some funny faces or by reading her some children books that he bought her. Over all it wasn't what most people would call an exciting day, but Natsu wouldn't have traded it for anything. Actually this whole week was like that for him, granted he was tired from her randomly waking up at night for different reasons but none of that really mattered to Natsu, he was just happy to be with her.

He unfortunately found out that he couldn't get her to sleep in her crib by herself. The first night Natsu did that Akari was crying pretty much the whole night until Natsu finally gave up when the sun was rising and let her sleep with him on the couch since he wasn't going to use his hammock. This eventually caused him to get a big bed so that he could have a better place to sleep with Akari since their couch was really not that comfortable.

All of a sudden Happy flew into the house and started to panic.

"Natsu their all going to come here, what are we going to do?" asked Happy very dramatically.

"Who's coming here Happy?" asked Natsu as he tried to calm down his little buddy.

"The whole guild Natsu, but I didn't tell them anything which then made them even more concerned. Especially after I turned down fish, I even didn't break when Erza tried to torture me for information." said Happy really quickly.

"Calm down Happy I can guarantee that you are making this a bigger deal than it actually is." replied Natsu as he picked up Akari and put her into her favorite spot on him.

"But we only have less than an hour before they come here to see what you have been doing for the past week." said Happy still freaking out.

"Why are they that concerned?" asked Natsu who was honestly concerned.

"Well things were said, and Laxus actually told them to let you have your own personal life and made a comment about you having a girlfriend. This of course caused Fairy Tail to do what we always do and go crazy which then led to everyone wanting to figure out what you were up to. Luckily Cana suggested that they bet on what you were up to which gave me more time to come up with an idea on how to warn you." explained Happy no longer freaking out since Natsu was still calm after hearing all of that.

"What was your idea Happy?" asked Natsu with a grin.

"That I come here and try and get you to go to the guild within an hour, if not then they will come here. They were about to disregard to that until Cana suggested again that they could bet on it." replied Happy.

"Well it seems we only have one choice then." stated Natsu with his grin present.

"And what is that?" asked Happy.

"Akari it looks like you are going to get to meet everyone from Fairy Tail sooner than I planned." said Natsu as he went to get Akari's blanket so she wouldn't get cold on the trip even though she would have been fine because of the heat that he gives off. But since this was his first time being a parent Natsu wasn't going to take any unnecessary risks if he didn't have to.

"Really just like that we're going to show them?" asked Happy in slight disbelief.

"Yep and I hope you placed a bet on the correct answer to the first one?" asked Natsu with a big grin.

"Of course I did Natsu, and no one even saw me. There was no way that I was going to let all of those fish slip through my paws." stated Happy.

"Don't you mean jewels Happy?" asked Natsu as he opened up the door.

"Nope because all of those jewels will be used for fish!" cheered Happy as he flew out with Natsu.

"You are very predictable you know that Happy." stated Natsu with a big grin as he locked up their house.

"I beg to differ Natsu, the guild would also since no one thought that I would turn down fish." replied Happy.

"You got me there buddy, and thanks for that I know how hard it was for you." said Natsu as he smiled as his little partner.

"It wasn't hard at all Natsu, I promised I wouldn't tell anyone and just like you, I keep my promises." said Happy proudly.

"Good to hear buddy." replied Natsu as they made their way towards Magnolia.

 **At Fairy Tail:**

"How much do you want to bet that Happy just warned Natsu so they could both just run off?" asked Erza who was still angry that Happy didn't tell her what's going on.

"Well there is a place to bet that." stated Lucy who was looking at all of the bets that were placed. There were some really odd ones like it wasn't a girl but a guy who he was hiding from the guild, there also was a very morbid one that said that he only had a month to live. One that made Lucy chuckle was that Natsu now had a kid and was taking care of it, and she wasn't the only one to chuckle at that bet.

"Happy's got just five minutes left." stated Grey with a big grin having bet that happy couldn't do it.

"I can guarantee you that Happy succeeded at getting Natsu to come here." replied Cana with a confident grin.

"You didn't use your cards to see that did you?" accused Jet.

"I would never do such a thing." said Cana not being able to keep a straight face.

"So you did." replied Droy angrily.

"Nope not this time boys, I just have a feeling that Happy was going to tell Natsu about everything that happened. And have any of you ever seen Natsu back down from anything?" asked Cana with confident grin still on her face.

"Shit I didn't even think about it that way." said Jet.

"Hi everybody!" shouted Happy as he came into the guild all by himself.

"Look, Happy failed." shouted someone who obviously bet that way since he was happy while shouting.

"I didn't fail you idiot! Natsu just wanted me to come in first to make sure that there wasn't a brawl going on or it being too loud in here." stated Happy once again shocking the guild that Natsu would want the guild not to be loud or fighting.

"Why would he want that?" asked Lucy.

"You'll have to wait and see that is if you promise to not do any of those things." said Happy.

"We promise Happy now go on and tell Natsu its fine to come in." replied Master Makarov wanting to really know what's going on.

"Natsu you can come in now." said Happy after he opened the door.

"Hi everyone." said Natsu quietly as everyone noticed the blanket bunched up on his right side of his chest and arm. This along with him being quiet really confused the whole guild.

"Hello Natsu, as I am sure you know the guild has been really worried about you." said Master Makarov.

"Yea I know which is why I had Happy tell you all that I was fine." replied Natsu quietly.

"Natsu what's going on, I demand that you tell us this instant." said Erza loudly while glaring at him. But what shocked everyone was that Natsu wasn't intimidated by her at all, if anything he looked extremely pissed off at her.

"You can't force me to do anything Erza, and it appears that you can't listen to instructions either. Because if you did then you wouldn't have been so loud just now." hissed Natsu as he glared at Erza while turnin his right side away from her in a protective manner.

"Wow first Happy then Natsu, what the hell is going on here?" asked Grey quietly not wanting to piss Natsu off right now as everyone else agreed with him and wondered what Erza was going to do. She just stood there quietly for a few more moments.

"I'm sorry Natsu, we're all just really worried about you." said Erza this time quietly.

"It's okay Erza, and I am sorry that you are all worried about me but as I told Happy to tell you I am fine. Actually I have never been better." replied Natsu with a big grin.

"How can you say that when you haven't been to the guild all week?" asked Mira who was shocked to hear that come out of his mouth.

"Here let me just show you and it should all make sense." said Natsu as he started to fiddle with the blanket on his right side.

"Everyone I would like you to meet Akari Dragneel." said Natsu as he showed off the baby that was asleep with her head on his shoulder.

"WHAT?" shouted the whole guild which of course caused something to happen that Natsu was trying to avoid.

 **End of Chapter**

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Thanks for reading and I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I would like to thank all of you for your support on this story and I can only hope that this was a good enough chapter for you all. Also thanks to all of the people who gave me suggestions on names for the baby that was really helpful. So as always feel free to leave me a review.**

 **Until the next Chapter**

 **Digem Out!**


	3. The Guild Reacts

Ch 3: The Guild Reacts

The next second a loud cry sounded out throughout the guild that was then followed by a deep growl that caused a few members that were closer to take a step back.

"I told you guys to be quiet, there, there Akari everything's going to be all right. Daddy's here and he's really sorry that his friends were so loud, but don't worry Akari it won't happen again will it?" said Natsu while trying to comfort his crying daughter while giving a glare at the guild for the last part. So for the next five minutes the guild watched as Natsu calmed the girl down to where she was no longer cry, but was now sucking on his scarf and looking around fascinated by everything that she could see.

"So now that she's no longer crying, which thanks for causing by the way, Akari is my daughter like I said earlier." replied Natsu with a not very happy expression.

"What?" asked pretty much every member once again forgetting about trying to keep it quiet, but luckily Akari didn't seem to mind now that she was awake which was lucky for them.

"I said that she's my daughter, did something happen to cause all of you guys to go deaf while I was gone?" asked Natsu honestly concerned that it might have actually happened.

"Sorry Natsu, this is just really hard to take in all of a sudden." replied Master Makarov one of the few people that could actually form sentences right now.

"I guess I can see that." said Natsu with a smile.

"So Salamander has been hiding a girl from us." spoke Gajeel with a big grin.

"I honestly didn't think Natsu knew the difference between the genders." stated Jet.

"Well he does considering he's had sex." replied Cana.

"I can't believe Flame Brain got laid before me, but he did get the girl pregnant so I am actually going to count this as a win for me." said Grey with a grin on his face.

"Natsu, what poor girl did you have relations with and didn't use protection?" asked Erza with a growl as she got even closer to him.

"I can't believe that you didn't tell us about her Natsu." said Mira almost to the point of crying.

"Quiet everyone that was too much for me to handle all at once. So I am going to start with Mira's question, and Mira I have only had her for a little over a week." said Natsu, thoroughly confusing everyone present.

"How is that even possible?" asked Lucy.

"It isn't Flame Brain must be misinterpreting something." stated Grey with a frown.

"No I didn't Stripper, Mira asked why I didn't tell her about Akari." refuted Natsu while glaring at Grey, causing everyone to think idiot at the same time.

"See told you." stated Grey now smirking.

"Natsu, what Mira wants to know is why you didn't tell us about her mother or about you having a secret relationship with someone." clarified Erza who was still ready to beat him for doing such indecent things.

"Oh that's what you meant Mira, well that didn't happen either. I only met her like nine days ago." replied Natsu with a smile.

"Okay, is he just fucking with us now?" asked Grey with an angry expression.

"GREY, I am only going to tell you this once. DON'T SWEAR IN FRONT OF MY DAUGHTER OR YOU'LL REGRET IT!" growled Natsu while glaring at Grey who took a step back out of instinct. While Akari on the other hand only giggled, this caused most of the women to aww at how cute it was.

"You're first word won't be anything like that now will it Akari? It's going to be something like daddy or dragon since you're daddy's little dragon." said Natsu with a big smile on his face as started to play with Akari.

"Sorry to interrupt this moment Natsu, but things need to be explained like how do you expect us to believe that you got a girl pregnant in a day and then had a child the same day? Who happens to look at least five months old." asked Erza who wasn't going to let that cute scene stop her from getting answers.

"I didn't get a girl pregnant, why would you think that?" asked Natsu with an eyebrow raised.

"Because you have your daughter in your hands Natsu, and you need to have sex in order to get a girl pregnant which then gives you a baby." explained Lucy as simple as possible.

"Well I didn't do that." stated Natsu casually as he focused his attention on Akari.

"What?" shouted the guild again for the third time that day.

"Is this a new thing that we're doing and nobody told me about it?" asked Natsu as he looked for someone to answer him.

"Natsu, I think that they are under the impression still that Akari is your biological daughter." stated Happy which caused a few people to snap out of their own thoughts.

"Wait, are you saying that she isn't your biological daughter?" asked Cana who for some reason liked this news.

"Nope but that doesn't make her any less of my daughter than if she was biologically related to me, isn't that right Akari." replied Natsu with a big grin as he poked Akari's tummy causing her to let out a little giggle.

"But you two have the same hair color." pointed out Mira.

"Oh that is just a coincidence that I am actually pretty happy about." replied Natsu with a big grin.

"Natsu!" shouted Erza as swung a sword down at him, but it was surprisingly stopped mid swing by Natsu grabbing it with his left hand. Everyone was completely shocked by Erza attacking him and by Natsu being able to stop it with a single hand that was now only starting to bleed.

"Erza what in the world do you think you are doing? That could have hurt Akari which is an unforgivable mistake that no one should ever do while I am still breathing." said Natsu in a deep gravelly voice while his bangs covered his eyes.

"I wasn't going to hit her Natsu, I was only going to hit you." stated an angry Erza.

"Why you are attacking me can be discussed later, but right now you need to tell me how you planned to not let Akari get hurt after your attacked Erza? Because for all you knew I could have twisted to my left putting her into the line of the attack, or you could have actually landed that attack and I could have dropped her." Natsu hissed out between his clenched teeth do to his anger as he then smashed Erza's sword with his bare hand that was still holding it. This shocked everyone at the show of strength and how pissed Natsu was, when thinking about it was understandable though.

"Answer me now Erza!" shouted Natsu which caused Akari hide her face by putting it into his chest.

"I didn't think about that." said Erza who was still shocked.

"Of course you didn't Erza, and because of that my daughter almost got seriously injured." said Natsu as he glared at his friend while trying to keep calm.

"She isn't your daughter though Natsu, you just told us that which means you probably took her from who knows where." said Erza as she equipped another sword and pointed it at him.

"Why does everyone jump straight to that, you all know that adoption is actually a thing. And I guess that is why you felt the need to attack me without figuring out if your assumptions where correct?" asked Natsu as he closed the wound on his hand with fire so that he could touch Akari with it without getting blood all over her.

"That is the reason behind why I attacked you Natsu, because I will not let you ruin someone's family." stated Erza without lowering her weapon.

"Well it's good to see what you actually think about me Erza that you actually believe that I would do something like that. And here I thought that we were friends that trusted one another." replied Natsu in a sad voice and everyone could see how he was now hurting.

"We are Natsu, but this is a baby that we are dealing with here." said Erza as if that actually made things different.

"That doesn't change anything Erza, if anything that should make you trust me even more. But I can see now that it was just me trusting you." said Natsu with a frown.

"That's not true Natsu I have trusted you with my life numerous times in our past. So if you didn't take her then did you adopt her?" asked Erza with her weapon still pointed at him.

"No I didn't adopt her in the traditional way and of course I didn't abduct her either." answered Natsu as he hugged Akari trying to comfort the little girl.

"What do you mean you didn't adopt her in the traditional way?" asked Master Makarov.

"Well I can't really do into the details but her mother gave her to me after I promised her some things." stated Natsu.

"Why can't you go into details Natsu?" asked Erza as she brought the sword closer to him.

"Get that stupid sword away from me Erza before I break it, and how can you honestly say that you trust me when you are still point as sword at my neck?" asked Natsu who was getting really tired of this shit.

"Believe me I do Natsu, but this is dealing with a baby here and you aren't even telling us how you came by her." stated Erza while not lowering her weapon. Natsu with speeds that no one knew he had swiftly snapped Erza's sword in half with a pissed off expression.

"I said to get that thing away from me and my daughter Erza. And I can't tell you guys about it because I promised her mother that I wouldn't let Akari know about what actually happened to her family. All that I am able to tell is that her whole family died to protect her, her mother tried the hardest, she defied all logic and made sure that she was going to be safe before she passed on." replied Natsu who was no seething with anger which caused Akari to start crying.

"Oh sorry honey, daddy isn't mad at you Akari. He's just angry at his friends that don't understand what's going on." said Natsu as he rocked her back and forth while lightly rubbing her back, which he did for about five minutes without anyone interrupting him.

"So you are saying that her whole family is dead?" asked Master Makarov.

"Yes Gramps, I was lucky enough to get there in time to save Akari." replied Natsu as he smiled down at Akari who smiled back at him.

"Master we should give the girl to an orphanage so that a loving family could adopt her." suggested Erza as she turned away from Natsu and looked at the master.

"What?" asked Natsu not believing what he just heard.

"Erza's right Master, Flame Brain is too stupid to take care of a child." stated Grey.

"The hell I am Stripper, I have done just fine for the last eight days." declared Natsu angrily.

"That must have been blind luck." refuted Grey.

"He raised me just fine." said Happy trying to help Natsu out.

"Sorry Happy, but that is different since you are an exceed." pointed out Lucy.

"I don't see how that is any different Lucy, I was young and would have died if Natsu hadn't taken care of me." Happy argued back.

"True but you don't need as much care as an actual human baby." stated Lucy.

"I seriously can't believe what I am hearing." stated Natsu.

"Come on Natsu, with how you are always goofing around this shouldn't be that much of a surprise." stated Macao.

"Yea Natsu, besides being an idiot that is always getting into trouble you are no way mature enough to handle raising a kid." said Wakaba.

"Also you can barely take care of yourself Natsu." said Erza.

"Oh I guess I couldn't take care of myself when I saved all of your sorry ass's." replied Natsu angrily.

"That was when you are fighting Natsu, and everyone here knows that you are great at that and we all completely trust you in those regards. But this is something that you are not qualified to do Natsu." said Master Makarov.

"You too Gramps?" asked Natsu with a look on his face that would make you think he had just been stabbed in the back.

"Sorry Natsu, but I have to agree with them on this." stated Master Makarov after he took a drink.

"Is that what you all think?" asked Natsu as he scanned the guild and saw the vast majority nodding their heads in agreement.

"I don't Natsu, I know that you would make a great dad. Just like you are too Happy." stated Lisanna with a big smile.

"I also agree with Lisanna on that Natsu, you have already shown how protective of her you are." said Mira giving him her warm motherly smile.

"Not only that, but like you said you have already taken care of Akari for more than a weak. And also were able to calm her down after we all caused her to cry both times." replied Cana with a grin.

"We also think that you would make a great dad Natsu." said Alzack as Bisca was next to him holding Asuka.

"He's right Natsu, you have been great with Asuka as soon as you met her." included Bisca with a big smile.

"You were also the only one that gave me any attention when I was younger." said Romeo with a big smile.

"I know that you would be the best father ever." said Wendy with a huge smile.

"I on the other hand don't know or care if you will be a good father Salamander, but what I do know is that there is no way I am going to try and stop you." said Gajeel which confused a few of the members.

"Thanks guys, that really means a lot to me that you have faith in me." replied Natsu with a big grin.

"They might Natsu, but the rest of us don't." stated Erza which caused Natsu to lose his grin and instantly revert to a frown and a glare.

"So what, I'll just prove the rest of you idiots wrong." stated Natsu.

"No you will not Natsu, because I am going to take her to the orphanage where she can get a real family." stated Erza as she walked towards him but stopped when he let out a deep growl.

"Over my dead body Erza, and she already has a family." growled Natsu.

"Natsu, think about what's best for the girl." said Master Makarov.

"I am Gramps, and because of that I am going to raise her as my own. I don't see why all of you are having such a hard time accepting this. I mean her own mother was fine with me raising Akari and made me promise that I would do this and I am not going to break that promise." said Natsu now glaring at Makarov.

"Natsu she only did that because she was dying and there we no better alternatives. She wouldn't have given her daughter to you if she knew you." said Grey who then had to dodge a fire ball that flew at his face.

"You weren't there Grey; she knew who I was and what I am willing to do for Akari. So say something like that again and I will finally fight you for real for the first time in my life, and let's just say that I will be viewing you as an actual enemy during it." declared Natsu as he glared at Grey.

"Ha, are you trying to say that you have been holding back this whole time Natsu?" asked Grey in disbelief.

"Of course I have, why would I ever go full power against my family. That would be stupid Grey, you would get seriously hurt." stated Natsu as if it was a fact.

"Bull.." said Grey but stopped because of the growl that came from Natsu.

"Crap Natsu, there is no way that you have been holding back." said Grey.

"Oh I haven't been have I, then how about asking the people here who were once seen as my enemies?" asked Natsu with a grin.

"He's full of crap right?" asked Grey as he looked at Gajeel and Laxus who both seemed to want to look elsewhere.

"You can't be serious, that just isn't possible." stated Grey.

"Well it is Grey, so deal with it." replied Laxus who really didn't want to admit that he respected how strong Natsu actually was and that is kind of scared him.

"That is one of the reasons I am completely staying out of this whole thing." stated Gajeel which left Grey speech less.

"Well now that, that conversation is done let's move onto the big issue." said Master Makarov.

"There isn't an issue here Gramps, except for you all not dealing with the fact that I am going to be raising her." said Natsu as he looked down and realized that somehow Akari was asleep now during all of this commotion. It made him smile and once again think that she was just like him, since he was probably the only other member that could actually sleep through something like this.

"You're wrong Natsu, I agree with most of the guild that you shouldn't be raising that girl. And you won't be breaking your promise since you will be giving her to a family that can take care of her better than you." said Master Makarov.

"Shut up Master, you don't even know what the actual promises were so you can't say that I won't be breaking them. Also you don't even know if she would get adopted and if she did we don't even know if they will love her and care for her like they should. But I do know that I will do both of those better than anyone else in the world." declared Natsu while shocking everyone that he was no longer calling Master, Gramps which is what he always calls him.

"You told us that you promised to raise her as your own Natsu, which I believe that you did without thinking about how much this would affect you. And I am sure that her mother would understand if you gave her up to a different family." explained Master Makarov.

"But I have Master, I knew before I made that promise that it would change my life but I still did it and plan to keep that promise. What you don't know is in that promise I also promised to protect her with my life and love her as much as they would have Master. Now tell me Master how in the world am I supposed to do that if I give her away to some strangers?" asked Natsu who was at the end of his ropes now.

"Well then I guess you will be breaking your promise then Natsu, because it is my duty as your Master to look out for you and for that girl as well." stated Master Makarov.

"Your duty as my Master, what's that got to do with anything? And Master I don't really think that you are understanding that when I told Erza that she would have to do that over my dead body I was serious, no one is going to stop me from raising this child." said Natsu in a defiant manner.

"What I mean by being Master having anything to do with this Natsu, is that I am thinking about ordering you to give her up." declared Master Makarov who was also getting tired of this debate.

"If you do that Master, then I would be forced to leave Fairy Tail." said Natsu with no hesitation what so ever.

"You can't be serious Natsu?" asked Lucy.

"He's just bluffing." declared Grey.

"Natsu what are you doing?" asked Erza who really couldn't believe the words that she just heard for him.

"I am keeping my promise is what I am doing Erza, which I really didn't think that I would have to protect Akari from my own family. And for your knowledge Grey, I would never bluff about something like this. So there you have it Master, as you can see I have thought about how this will change my life and I am completely willing to give it all up if you try and force me to give Akari away. I think that I have made my point and will be leaving now; you can tell Happy if I am still a member when he leaves. Oh and if any of you try to come and try to get her from me I will treat you like I would any other enemy. Actually that's wrong I will treat you like what you are, someone who is trying to steal the child of a dragon. You can ask Gajeel and Wendy what that means." said Natsu as he then left the guild with Akari once again covered in the blanket.

"What the hell just happened?" asked Lucy.

"You just saw what a parent is will to do for their kid, and are actually lucky that she was with him otherwise you would probably all be a little charred right now. And I probably would have helped Natsu do it, you guys realize that you were trying to take away his kid." explained Bisca with a frown as she looked at the main people who tried to take Akari from Natsu.

"But she isn't his kid Bisca." stated Erza.

"Natsu sure doesn't see it that way, which is all that matters to him." stated Alzack who also was frowning at them.

"He was definitely bluffing about leaving Fairy Tail though right?" asked Grey.

"And you were saying Natsu was the idiot, did you not hear him Grey. He was never more serious in his life, I can't believe you guys I thought you were supposed to be his family and you go and try and take away the one thing that actually made him better." responded Happy with a pissed off face.

"There you go again Happy, you just said something that made it sound like Natsu wasn't alright before this." stated Lucy.

"It's because he wasn't Lucy, but only a few of you noticed and tried to help. While the rest of his so called friends did nothing which wouldn't be so bad, but then you go and tell him that the only thing that you trust him with is saving you from dying. But even worse than that you go and try and take away the thing that brought him back, you know what I am out of here if Natsu is kicked out send Wendy otherwise don't come at all." said Happy as he specifically glared at Erza and then flew out of there before anyone else could ask a question.

"Seriously what's going on here?" asked Lucy.

"What did Natsu mean about that comment of stealing the child of a dragon?" asked Laxus since he was curious why the other two dragon slayers were singled out while he wasn't. Wendy just started to look at her feet and mumble things that even the dragon slayers couldn't hear.

"Gajeel would you please tell us, since Wendy seems like she can't?" asked Levy.

"Sure, Salamander said it was okay for me to tell you and why not, your reactions are going to be priceless." replied Gajeel with a grin.

"Just tell us Gajeel" said Levy while glaring cutely at him.

"Sur thing Shrimp, what Salamander meant by that is he won't hesitate to kill any of you if you try to take that little girl from him. And before you ask yes he was serious, it's a dragon slayer thing which is why he knew that Wendy and I would get his meaning behind that comment because we were raised by dragons. And that is what they would do to anyone even their closest friend if they threatened their young, not only that but they would literally fight until their last breath, and Salamander would do the same. So like I said at the beginning of this shit, I will take no part of it one way or another." explained Gajeel as he watched the mouths of all the people opposed to Natsu having the kid drop to the floor.

"That isn't just a dragon thing Gajeel, it's a parent thing." replied Alzack with Bisca nodding next to him.

"I will have to trust you two on that since I don't have any runts of my own running around yet." replied Gajeel with a grin.

"Frankly Master, I am disappointed in you since you have actually had a kid and should know the lengths that a parent will go for them. Well we going to be going to the park where it's happier." stated Bisca with a frown and then left with the rest of her family.

"He wouldn't do that would he?" asked Erza who was still stuck on the fact that Natsu pretty much told them that he would kill them if they tried to Akari from him.

"He would Erza, judging from the look that he gave us and from what Gajeel told us just now. I can guarantee you that he would go through with it if we tried to take that girl from him. I just didn't think that Natsu would become so protective of her so fast." stated Master Makarov.

"Well that was because you didn't look at it clearly Master, you could only look at this while thinking about the Natsu that had fun here at the guild. When you really should have looked at it as if this was his only fight that he ever really cared about." stated Mira with a slight frown.

"Not only that, but did any of you even think that Natsu might see himself in that little girl. He still doesn't know what happened to his real parents, but he was lucky enough for Igneel to find him and take care of him when he needed someone the most. And now he is seeing this as his time to do the same thing that Ingneel did for him but even better since you can all see that he won't be leaving that girl." explained Cana.

"I didn't think about it that way." said Master Makarov as he hung his head in shame.

"So what are we going to do Master?" asked Erza.

"The thing that I should have done right away Erza, be supportive of his decision and help him in any way that I can." replied Master Makarov.

"Are you sure that is wise Master?" asked Erza.

"I am Erza, it is much better than possibly having him killing one of us. Or him taking off with the child and not having a source of income, at least this way we can help him. And besides he made a good point we should have more faith in his abilities other than fighting." replied Master Makarov with a big grin on his face.

"I still think that we should give her to a different family." said Erza with a frown.

"If we did that are you fine with Natsu being your enemy for the rest of your life Erza, or are you willing to kill him or die trying to get that girl away from him? Because those are the only options Erza, besides this means that Akari has just now joined one of the biggest and best families out there." said Master Makarov.

"I don't think that I could kill him or have him being my enemy." stated Erza with a frown.

"Then that just leaves you having faith in him and helping him out if he ever needs anything." responded Master Makarov with a grin.

"I still want to know what Happy was talking about Natsu not being alright and when did you two become so knowledgeable about Natsu?" asked Lucy as she pointed at Mira and Cana.

"Sorry Lucy but we promised Happy that we wouldn't tell." replied Mira with a sweet smile.

"Besides Lucy, like Happy said earlier it doesn't matter now that he's better. That is as long as no one tries to take Akari from him." said Cana as she glared at some of the members that were against him keeping her.

"But I really want to know." begged Lucy.

"Let's just say that Natsu lost his purpose but has now found a new one, and it's Akari." replied Mira with a sweet smile still on her face.

"Mira you weren't supposed to mention any of it." hissed Cana.

"Don't worry Cana, none of them will say a single thing about this to anyone ever again." said Mira as she let her magic flare up and looked at every member with her sweet smile, that every one of them knew was a lie. And that if they happened to mention this it would be extremely painful, possibly even soul shattering which meant that no one was going to do that.

"See every things fine Cana, they now won't be asking that question anymore either." replied Mira with a big smile.

"You still like to remind everyone that you once were a demon don't you?" asked Cana with a grin.

"Darn right I do." replied Mira as she grinned back at Cana.

After hearing that Natsu had lost his purpose but now found it in raising Akari most of the members were quick to switch sides and start thinking that Natsu would be a great father. Especially if she was his new purpose in life, meaning that he would literally do anything for her. So as was the normal thing for Fairy Tail to do, they now partied for Natsu and Akari becoming their own little family even if neither of them were there to celebrate.

 **End of Chapter**

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Thanks for reading and I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. And I want to thank the overwhelming amount of support that you have given me for this story alone and hope that it continues as I keep writing new chapters for it. So on another Note I will be leaving it up to you the readers on who Natsu ends up with and it is only going to be one women, as of right now my candidates for possible mates are Cana, Kagura, Mira and Minerva. I will be open to other suggestions but these are the ones that I am planning on using right now. I will ask for who it should be once I have given you guys some interactions with Natsu and Akari with each of the candidates. I just thought that I might as well tell you all now that was what my plan is. So as always feel free to leave a review.**

 **Until the next Chapter**

 **Digem Out!**


	4. Plans for the Future

Ch 4: Plans for the Future

 **At Natsu's and Happy's:**

"Well that didn't go really how daddy wanted it to go now did it my little dragon." said Natsu as he closed the door of his house with his foot. While taking of the blanket that was covering Akari and seeing that she was happily sucking on his scarf.

"You really like daddy's scarf don't you Akari?" asked Natsu as he smiled at her and she smiled back at him with his scarf still in her mouth. This caused Natsu to start to laugh at how funny she looked while doing that with his scarf hanging out of her little mouth, and she started to giggle in response to him laughing.

"So what do you want to do now Akari, do you want daddy to read you another story about a dragon?" asked Natsu since those were the stories that he also liked to read because they had dragons in them of course. Akari smiled back to Natsu and he couldn't tell if she was just copying him or if she wanted him to read to her but it really didn't matter to Natsu since he knew that they would both be happy just being with each other.

So Natsu started to read the story titled The Lost Dragon, which was his favorite story to read to Akari. It was about a little baby dragon that accidentally got left behind when the rest of his family moved to a new mountain. At first the baby dragon didn't know what to do so it just cried but then it remembered what his dad told him about what it means to be a dragon. And how they can do anything that they set their mind to, so the little dragon decides that he's going to find his family no matter what it takes. So he sets off to look for his parents and along the way he makes tons of friends and has many adventures with them and learns little life lessons along the way. And the story ends with the little dragon reuniting with his family and living happily ever after, which Natsu liked since he knows personally that life is not always that nice.

Natsu had just gotten to the part where the little dragon was going to go out into the world and try to find his family when Happy all of a sudden burst into the house with an angry expression. And then quickly went into the kitchen and started to rummage through the fridge until he found the fish that he was looking for. It just so happened to be a big salmon that Happy wanted and took into the living room to eat while sitting on the coffee table in front of the other two.

"I didn't expect you to come back this quickly Happy, so what did they say?" asked Natsu as he closed the book. And Akari did what she always does when she sees Happy in all his blue glory, which is try and grab his tail no matter how far away it was from her.

"I don't know Natsu, I was just so mad at them for trying to take Akari away from you that I yelled at them and stormed out after you. I would have been home earlier but I went to go buy some fish to cheer myself up but forgot that I spent all of my jewels in my backpack earlier today." replied Happy with a frown about how the guild acted and not being able to buy fish. So in other words it was a really sad frown that Happy was rocking right now.

"Hey it's okay Happy everything will turn out just fine." replied Natsu with a big smile on his face as he watched his best friend and son get worked up over his problems. It made Natsu feel nice just knowing that Happy was always going to be on his side even when no one else was.

"What are you going to do if they kick us out Natsu?" asked Happy as he started to eat his salmon.

"First off Happy I don't think they are going to kick you out, and if they do kick me out then I will find a different guild to work at after Akari gets a little older." replied Natsu with a big grin.

"Yea but if they kick you out Natsu then I am quitting." said Happy after he swallowed the piece of fish he was chewing on.

"That is completely up to you little buddy and Akari seems like she really wants to say hi to you Happy." said Natsu with a big smile as Akari was still trying to grab Happy's tail.

"I am fine with her grabbing my tail Natsu as long as she doesn't suck on it again." replied Happy with a glare directed to Natsu.

"Sorry Happy, that's just what babies do when they are Akari's age." said Natsu with a big grin.

"Okay but if she does that means she can't have any of my fish for a week." declared Happy as he sat down on Natsu's shoulder letting Akari play with his tail.

"You don't have to worry about that Happy; Akari won't be eating any fish for a long time still. And who knows if she will even like fish at all." said Natsu with a big grin after chuckling at Happy and how he was always thinking about his precious fish.

"How in the world could someone not like fish? That's crazy Natsu, of course Akari's going to love fish because you and I both love fish. Which means that she will too, oh and what were you doing when I came back?" asked Happy as he finished his fish and looked at Natsu.

"Just reading Akari: The Lost Dragon." stated Natsu.

"Why don't you read keep reading it for us." suggested Happy with a big smile as her remembered Natsu doing this for him when he was younger. Which made him remember the stories that Natsu would make up for him that usually involved fish is some way shape or form.

"I guess we could do that and hope it puts Akari to sleep." replied Natsu as he opened the book to where he stopped reading earlier and continued on with the book. A little while later Natsu finished the story and set the book onto the coffee table with a soft smile on his face as he looked at Akari who fell asleep with his scarf still in her mouth as she snuggled into him more.

"That is almost a story about you Natsu." stated Happy with a small smile and in a soft voice.

"How so Happy?" asked Natsu who was thinking about how awesome it would be for him to actually be a dragon.

"Well you were unfortunately left by Igneel when you were young and then you set off to find him. And along the way you made a lot of friends and went on adventures with them and then you finally found Igneel." said Happy as he then lost his smile remembering that Natsu's reunion was not as nice as the one in the book.

"It's okay Happy it's something that happened and I have finally come to accept. But you are correct that my life and the life of the little dragon in the story were very similar." replied Natsu with a sad smile.

"So what do you want to do now Natsu?" asked Happy who wanted to get away from the topic of Igneel dying for obvious reasons.

"I don't really know Happy, there's not really much I can do with Akari being so attached to me." answered Natsu as he scratched the left side of his head.

"What do you mean by attached Natsu, can't you just put her in that comfy crib you bought for her?" asked Happy.

"Right now Akari will start crying if I just set her down for a second; the only thing that actually allows me to ever set her down and not be right next to her is if she has my scarf. And how do you know that Akari's crib is comfy Happy?" asked Natsu with a big smirk on his face.

"I tested it out of course Natsu, had to make sure that you built it correctly and that it wouldn't hurt Akari." explained Happy as he looked away from Natsu.

"Sure Happy, you totally didn't just want to see if it was as comfy as Lucy's bed." said Natsu still smirking at Happy.

"I already told you why I tested it Natsu, that's what an older brother is supposed to do. He needs to look out for his little sister and make sure everything's safe for her, which is what I did. And you are not going to believe this but it is actually even more comfy than Lucy's or your new bed." replied Happy with a big smile.

"HAHA well you are free to use it as much as you want little buddy, until Akari no longer needs to sleep with me that is." said Natsu while chuckling at the thought of Happy sleeping in a crib.

"Yea, wait a minute are you saying that I won't get to use it soon?" asked Happy with a frown on his face.

"Well unless you are fine sleeping with Akari and she doesn't mind." stated Natsu and watched Happy think about this for a moment.

"I can live with that Natsu." replied Happy with a smile.

"What if Akari starts to suck on your tail while she sleeps?" asked Natsu with a grin.

"Worth it if it means that I get to still sleep in that comfy bed." replied Happy with a bigger smile.

"Happy it's not a bed it's a crib." stated Natsu.

"Which is just a smaller form of a bed that is the perfect size for me." declared Happy with a proud grin at beating Natsu in this argument.

"Whatever you say Happy." replied Natsu with a smile then smelt something that he was surprised to smell so he started to sniff to make sure that he wasn't mistaken by who he thought was coming.

"Who's coming Natsu?" asked Happy knowing that Natsu was obviously smelling someone coming to their place.

"Just some guest's that probably know what decision Gramps made." replied Natsu with a smile.

"So members from the guild that didn't want to take Akari away?" asked Happy still not liking how the guild reacted a while ago at the news.

"Yep Happy, and I can only assume that they came to see Akari and probably wanted to do that when we went to the guild." replied Natsu with a grin knowing that Happy wanted specific people.

"Natsu who is it, because I told them not to come here?" asked Happy with a frown.

"You'll just have to wait and see Happy, they'll be at the door in a few moments." said Natsu with the same grin that he had before.

"Well if I don't like who showed up then I am sending them away because this is my place too." declared Happy as he went to the door to see who was out there. Happy with a frown on his face flung open the door just as someone was about to knock on it.

"What do you want?" asked Happy before he saw who was visiting them.

"Hi Happy, we just wanted to see little Akari if that was okay." said Lisanna with a big smile.

"Lisanna, I didn't know that you were coming because Natsu was being a jerk and didn't tell me. If I knew that you were here I wouldn't have answered the door so rudely." said Happy as he hugged Lisanna.

"It's okay Happy, I know that you were just trying to help Natsu and Akari." replied Lisanna with a big smile and was truly proud to see that Happy was serious about something other than fish for once in his life.

"Hey Happy is it okay if we see Akari as well?" asked Wendy who was standing in between Cana and Mira with Carla floating above her.

"Yea you guys are welcome here since you didn't try to take Akari away." said Happy with a big smile on his face while he flew back into the house with the girls following him.

"Wow I don't think I have ever seen your place so clean before." commented Lisanna as she looked at the spotless place.

"I have actually never been here before and am quite surprised at how nice it is." said Cana as she looked around.

"Me either Cana, I half expected to find the place full of garbage." stated Mira with a big smile.

"There is no way that I would ever let Akari grow up in a place like that." said Natsu from the couch with a big grin on his face.

"I really didn't know that you could clean your place to make it look so good." said Wendy with a big smile.

"You would have been right Wendy if it wasn't for my little dragon here. Since getting her I have found out that I am willing and capable of doing things that I never would have been able to do before." said Natsu still smiling but looking at Akari sleeping in his arm.

"You made that perfectly clear with how you left the guild and I would like to apologize for how everyone else acted Natsu." said Cana who felt odd just standing there.

"Did Cana just apologize to me and for something that she didn't even do?" asked Natsu who was seriously surprised by this because as long as he's known Cana. She has never once apologized to him or anyone else for anything that she's done since she usually only does or says things that she means to do.

"Yes I did Natsu because what they said and did was completely uncalled for." stated Cana with a slightly angry expression.

"Thanks Cana, and you all can make yourselves at home." stated Natsu with a smile as they all found a spot to sit.

"We would also like to apologize as well Natsu." said Mira who was right next to him and looking at Akari with stars in her eyes.

"It's okay guys, none of you did anything wrong and were actually trying to help Akari and me." said Natsu with a big smile since he really appreciated them sticking up for him.

"We know that Natsu, we just wanted to say how sorry we are that it turned out that way." said Wendy with a faint smile and couldn't take her eyes off of Akari who was sleeping peacefully on Natsu's arm.

"It's fine I swear Wendy, so can I get you anything to drink?" asked Natsu as he got up, which Mira didn't like since she could no longer look at Akari.

"Oh you don't have to do that for us Natsu." said Lisanna trying to not inconvenience Natsu.

"It's no trouble at all Lisanna, you would be amazed at how good I am with my left hand now." stated Natsu as he headed to his kitchen.

"What does that have to do with you getting us drinks?" asked Cana.

"Well since Akari here gets fussy if she's ever not being held by me, I had to get really good at doing everything with my left hand. Will some green tea be alright for everyone?" asked Natsu from inside of his kitchen.

"That'll be fine Natsu I want to see Akari and hold her." replied Mira with a frown since Akari wasn't there.

"HAHAHA just give me a sec and I'll be back out there Mira. And we'll see how she reacts to all of you when she wakes up which she should be doing any moment now." said Natsu from the kitchen.

"He is definitely taking this seriously, if the rest of the guild could see this Natsu than they never would have said those things about him." said Lisanna with a big smile.

"You got that right Lisanna, this is like a completely different Natsu. One that isn't taking everything as a joke and always getting into a fight it's pretty attractive if I do say so myself." said Cana with a small smile as she leaned onto the armrest of the couch while putting her feet up on the coffee table.

"Here you guys go and thanks for saying all of that." replied Natsu with a smirk.

"Damn you and your dragon slayer senses Natsu." replied Cana with a faint blush since she forgot that he could hear them.

"Most people forget about them, and please try and not say anything bad around Akari. I would really hate it if her first word was a curse." said Natsu with a small smile as he sat back down in the middle of the couch.

"Sorry Natsu, I didn't mean to say that." said Cana who was appalled that she said something bad in front of Akari.

"This must be a dream because that is the second time that I have ever heard you apologize. And don't worry about it Cana you didn't actually say anything bad I just wanted to remind everyone about that." said Natsu as he smirked at Cana causing her to look away from him so he wouldn't see how embarrassed she was right now.

"Um Natsu I think you forgot to heat up the tea." said Lisanna as she picked up the tea kettle.

"No I didn't Lisanna, I just wanted to get everyone their favorite temperature." replied Natsu as he lit his left hand on fire. So for the next few minutes Natsu with the help of Lisanna served everyone a cup of tea that was just to their liking.

"So I am just going to ask it since you guys haven't brought it up, am I still a member of Fairy Tail?" asked Natsu as he looked at all of them.

"Of course you are Natsu, Master realized after you left that he didn't handle the situation correctly and now plans to support you fully on this decision." answered Wendy with a big smile.

"They were all fools to not realize how much you care about Akari, I could see it as soon as you came into the guild. You are going to make a great father for her Natsu." said Carla with a smile.

"Wow Carla that means a lot to me since it's coming from you." said Natsu with a big grin since he always thought that Carla didn't care for him and always said that he was a bad influence on Wendy.

"I am just stating the facts Natsu." said Carla as she sipped on her tea.

"Smart and Beautiful, you're the whole package Carla. Would you like this fish that I saved just for you?" asked Happy who pulled the fish from who knows where.

"Quite Happy and how many times have I told you that I don't like fish." replied Carla with a glare.

"She said my name." replied Happy with a really big smile on his face.

"Natsu now don't take this the wrong way, but do you have everything that you need for Akari?" asked Lisanna.

"I won't Lisanna I know that you are just concerned about Akari, and thanks to a lady that I met when I first got Akari I got a good idea of everything that I would need to buy. She also gave me a really quick rundown of everything that she learned from having her own kids." answered Natsu as he smiled at Lisanna.

"Yea, Natsu even bought two beds." said Happy with a big smile.

"What, why would you get two beds?" asked Cana.

"I didn't get two beds, I got Akari a crib and I got myself a bed since Akari won't go to sleep unless I am holding her. And just because you like sleeping in the crib Happy doesn't make it a bed." said Natsu causing the girls to all giggle at the thought of Happy in a crib.

"Hey stop laughing, it's the comfiest place I have ever slept." declared Happy.

"Oh don't get mad Happy, I just wish I knew about this sooner and I would have gotten you one sooner." said Lisanna with a grin.

"Well why didn't you Lisanna, this whole time I have been sleeping in a stupid hammock and Lucy's no longer comfortable bed." said Happy while waving his paws around once again causing everyone there to chuckle at him.

"Would you have actually left Fairy Tail if Master told you to give up Akari?" asked Mira wanting to know if it was a bluff.

"Yes I would have Mira, it's not even a question what comes first for me from now on. Akari is now my main concern and everything I do from here on will be for her." answered Natsu with no hesitation.

"So what are you going to do about jewels now that you have Akari and won't be able to take any jobs for a while?" asked Wendy.

"Well luckily I have been saving up for a situation like this, well not actually for something like this but for some sort of emergency. So I actually have enough jewels to not need to do any jobs for more than a year." answered Natsu.

"What do you plan to do after that runs out?" asked Cana.

"Well hopefully Akari will not be so clingy by then and can get someone to look after her with Happy so that I can quickly do a job and be right back with her before she even notices that I am gone." replied Natsu with a smile.

"Are you sure that you will be able to transition to a barely active mage, because trust me Natsu it's a lot harder than it looks?" asked Mira who had personally gone through that after she thought that Lisanna was dead.

"That won't be a problem at all Mira, because I can honestly tell you that this past week has been one of the happiest weeks of my life. While also being one the week that I have also gotten the least amount of sleep as well so I really don't see that changing for me anytime soon. Well the being happy part I would really enjoy it if Akari didn't wake up at the oddest hours at night." replied Natsu with a grin.

"Just look at you Natsu, I can honestly say that you would have been the last person that I thought would have a kid after Bisca and Alzack. And what I mean by that is that you just seemed like someone who would be more like Gildarts and never really settle down." said Cana with a smile on her face seeing that Natsu wasn't going to be like her father. Which she is completely fine with since Gildarts didn't even know about her until the previous S-Class exams.

"Honestly that was actually my plan for a long time, but then some things happened and I realized that wasn't the life that I wanted. And that became absolutely certain to me as soon as I got this little cutie." replied Natsu as he looked at Akari with a loving smile.

"I just wished that we would have bet on something like this, think of how many jewels I could have made off of it." said Cana with a devious grin.

"Oh yea that reminds me Cana, how well did you do off of the two bets about what I was doing this past week?" asked Natsu with a grin.

"I did great and would have done even better if someone didn't guess correctly. Wait a minute was that you Happy?" asked Cana as she finally realized who would have actually put that down.

"Yep now where's my fish Cana?" Happy asked back.

"I don't have any fish, but here's what you earned in jewels." said Cana with a frown as she threw a card at Happy that then turned into stacks of jewels that buried the little cat.

"Aye Sir." came the muffled cheer from Happy who was covered in jewels. Then they all heard a cute little yawn come from Akari as she woke up and started to look at the strangers around her.

"Hey there Akari you have some visitors that would really like to get to know you." said Natsu as he smiled down at her as she grabbed his scarf and started to suck on it like she usually does.

"Can I hold her now Nastu?" asked Mira who looked like she might explode if she doesn't get to hold her.

"Sure but like I said before she's really attached to me right now." said Natsu as he started to hand Akari over to Mira and could see that Akari was already not liking it at all.

"Hey it's okay Akari I am still going to be right here, daddy isn't going anywhere." said Natsu as he still was holding her. And Akari looked like she was on the verge of crying so Natsu did the only thing that he could think of that would help her stay calm.

"Here you go Akari, you can hold onto daddy's scarf while aunt Mira holds you." said Natsu as he took her back to his chest so that he could use his left hand to take off his scarf and give it to her.

"There you go Akari, now are you are going to be a brave little dragon for daddy and let aunt Mira hold you?" asked Natsu as he slowly passed her to Mira who happily accepted her. But just as Natsu was about to pull his right hand away it was loosely grabbed by Akari with her little hands, which completely stopped him from pulling back and just let her hold onto his pointer finger.

"You weren't joking at all about her being attached to you Natsu." said Lisanna after watching all of that unfold in front of her.

"I definitely wasn't joking about that Lisanna, but I am concerned. Is that normal for a baby to be that attached to someone because from what I have seen she's the only baby that can't stand being away from her parent for more than a few seconds." said Natsu with a concerned look on his face.

"You have nothing to worry about Natsu, she just really loves you and can't stand being separated from you. Yes Akari might be a little clingier than most babies, but considering what she's already gone through it kind of makes sense that she won't let go of you." said Mira as she made funny faces at Akari who would just smile at them while she sucked on Natsu's scarf and holding his finger.

"I guess that makes sense." replied Natsu as he smiled at his daughter.

"She might have also latched onto the aura that you give off Natsu, which is surprisingly a calm and warm aura." suggested Cana with a smile.

"What do you mean by a surprisingly calm and warm aura?" asked Natsu as he looked over his shoulder at Cana.

"I just meant that most people wouldn't think that your aura would cause other people to feel calm, or a better way of describing it would be that we feel safe and protected when around you Natsu. As if nothing can harm us as long as you're around and as for the warm that is probably due to you being a fire mage which also makes people feel safe." explained Cana with a slight blush.

"Thanks Cana, but what would most people assume my aura to be?" asked Natsu with an eyebrow raised at her.

"I would say that most would think that it would be hectic or wild since that is what you usually are when you are doing jobs or just hanging out at the guild." answered Cana as she tried to not make a fool of herself any more than she already has.

"I can see how people would think that." said Natsu as he looked back at Akari.

"Mira let someone else have a turn holding Akari." said Lisanna in a pouting voice.

"Just a little longer Lisanna, she's just so cute that I want to keep her all to myself." said Mira which got Natsu to let out a little growl.

"I was just joking Natsu, I would never dream of trying to take Akari from her overly protective daddy. That would be a death wish now wouldn't it be Akari?" said Mira the whole time smiling down at Akari.

"You're right on that one Mira, nobody is going to take daddy's little dragon away from him. Isn't that right Akari?" asked Natsu with a big grin on his face.

"Mira if you hold her any longer she's going to go to sleep again before the rest of us get to hold her." whined Lisanna.

"Fine Lisanna, but I get to hold her after everyone else does." stated Mira as she got up and passed Akari off to Lisanna who then sat back down on the couch where Mira used to be sitting.

"Wow she is so cute." squealed Lisanna as she looked at Akari.

"She's the most beautiful thing that I have ever seen." said Natsu as he looked at her, not noticing the other girls all smiling at him because of his statement.

"I still can't believe that she has the same hair color as you Natsu." stated Lisanna with a big smile that looked like it wasn't going to be leaving her face anytime soon.

"Yea that one surprised me as well because I didn't notice any of her family having hair like hers, but then again it was kind of not the time to be concerned about something so trivial. Now it's just going to be easier for people to believe that she's my daughter." said Natsu with a proud grin.

"So why didn't her mother want her or anyone else to know about what happened?" asked Mira who was wondering this since Natsu said it at the guild.

"Well she didn't want Akari to have to know that her family was being targeted for some reason, as for not telling any of you guys about it. I am doing that to ensure that Akari doesn't find out and also to keep her safe from whoever might want to come after her if they knew she was alive." replied Natsu as he glared at a wall while showing off his fangs at the imaginary enemy.

"You would really do anything for her wouldn't you Natsu?" asked Cana with a warm smile that would look more at home on Mira's face.

"Yes I would Cana, like I said before Akari has become the thing I care about the most in the world. You could say that she has become my purpose for living." said Natsu with a caring smile directed down at Akari who was being entertained by Lisanna. They all just sat there for a few minutes watching Lisanna play with Akari, until surprisingly Wendy spoke up.

"Um Lisanna would it be okay if I held Akari?" asked Wendy timidly.

"Oh sorry Wendy, I just lost track of time while holding her." said Lisanna as she regretfully passed Akari over to Wendy.

"She's so light." said Wendy with a big smile as she held Akari who seemed pretty happy about Wendy holding her.

"Wow Wendy I think that she really likes you." stated Natsu with a big grin.

"Why would you say that Natsu?" asked Wendy who didn't even look up at him while talking since she was captivated by Akari.

"Well because she isn't cry after I took my hand away from her for starters. And just look at how happy she is right now Wendy." said Natsu still grinning at Wendy and Akari.

"Maybe she is just getting used to being held by other people." suggested Wendy.

"Or maybe she just likes her big sister." said Natsu with a little chuckle.

"What are you talking about Natsu I'm not her big sister, that would make you my dad." stuttered Wendy as she finally looked up at Natsu with an embarrassed expression on her face.

"Yea I know Wendy, but you are probably going to become her big sister figure when she grows up. Well you and Asuka will probably both fill that role, so I want you two to be great role models for her." said Natsu in joking matter.

"I will be the best big sister she could ever ask for." said Wendy as she looked back at Akari with a big smile.

"I know you will Wendy, just look at how much she already likes you." stated Natsu with a smirk.

"That's just because she's getting used to people." replied Wendy.

"I don't know about that Wendy, it might be because you and Natsu both are dragon slayers making your magic similar." suggested Mira with a smile hoping that she was actually wrong about this.

"I didn't even think about that, does that mean she'll like Laxus and Gajeel?" asked Natsu as he looked as if he might start panicking.

"Who knows Natsu, maybe." said Lisanna with a big smirk.

"Darn, I guess those two aren't the worse possible people for her to like." said Natsu as he let out a sigh of defeat.

"Natsu we don't even know if that is way Akari likes Wendy." pointed out Cana.

"Well then how would we figure that out then?" asked Natsu as he scratched his chin.

"Simple Natsu, once Wendy is done with Akari we'll see how she reacts with me." replied Cana.

"Wait you want to hold her?" asked Natsu who was stunned by this.

"Of course I do Natsu you jerk, I am a woman too you know and like most things that every other woman likes too." said Cana in a slightly hurt tone.

"Sorry Cana I didn't mean anything by that, you just haven't ever really shown a girly side to me ever. Well at least not that I can remember seeing." said Natsu with a faint smile.

"Well I do Natsu, and I just don't show it off like other women." stated Cana proudly.

"Hey where did Happy and Carla go?" asked Natsu as he just noticed that they were not here.

"Happy took her to show how comfy Akari's crib is." stated Wendy.

"And Carla actually went with him?" asked Natsu in disbelief.

"I think that she did that to just get Happy to stop bothering her." replied Lisanna with a small giggle at how persistent Happy can be.

"Natsu she has such beautiful purple eyes." said Wendy out of nowhere.

"Oh yea she does, it's actually the only thing that I am confident that she got from her mother. They were the same deep purple that makes you get lost in them and not look away." replied Natsu as he thought back to his talk with Akari's mother and couldn't help but frown.

"Hey it's okay Natsu you can't save everyone." said Cana who was able to see what was going through his mind. Natsu was very easy to read if he wasn't trying to pretend that everything was alright.

"She also told me that too." said Natsu with a sad smile.

"And she was right Natsu, you're only one man so don't think about those that you couldn't save. Think about all those that you have saved and how because of you they get to keep living just like Akari." said Mira with a caring smile.

"Okay were you two actually there, because that was really similar to what she also said?" asked Natsu with a sad chuckle.

"No we weren't Natsu, and the reason that we said similar things is because we happen to be right on this Natsu." said Cana with a small smile.

"I still think that you two might have been there." said Natsu with a little grin as he leaned back into the couch and closed his eyes.

"Do you want to hold her now Cana?" asked Wendy who still couldn't help but want to make others happy, otherwise she wouldn't have let go of Akari.

"Yes please." replied Cana as she held out her arms expectantly.

"Here you go, and I will see you later Akari." said Wendy as she handed Akari over to Cana.

"See Natsu she's just getting used to other people holding her." said Mira with a big smile on her face.

"I wouldn't jump to conclusions so quickly Mira, she is as stubborn as me if not more. She could like Cana for some reason, the only way to be certain is to see how she reacts to you and Lisanna holding her again." stated Natsu still with his eyes closed.

"Look at what you did to your daddy Akari, I don't think I have ever seen him this tired before." said Cana with a big grin.

"She takes a lot out of you, but daddy wouldn't trade it for anything else in the world." replied Natsu who sounded like he was slowly drifting off to sleep.

"You hear that Akari your daddy loves you more than anything else in the world, that makes you a really lucky girl." said Cana as she tickled Akari's little tummy getting her to giggle.

"Man I just want to eat her up since she's so cute." said Mira who was starting to get impatient waiting for her turn to hold her again.

"I know what you mean Mira, she is just too cute aren't you Akari." said Cana who was once again tickling her tummy and getting the same cute reaction.

"I think she really does like you Cana, because she didn't like it when I tried that." said Lisanna with a frown.

"Do like your aunt Cana that much Akari, if so I might have to buy you a drink when you get a little older." said Cana jokingly but then heard Natsu let out a small growl.

"You mean a lot older right Aunt Cana?" asked Natsu as he opened one eye to look at her.

"Of course I did Natsu, it's okay Akari what your daddy doesn't know won't hurt him." said Cana in whisper with a big grin knowing that Natsu could definitely hear her. Natsu then sprung to his feet and looked as if he was ready to fight and his magic started to flare up.

"Settle down Natsu I was just joking." said Cana concerned that she went too far.

"You're fine Cana, I just smelt an unwanted guest that I am going to get rid of. Cana, please take care of Akari while I am gone." said Natsu as he then walked out of his house not looking back or waiting for a response.

"Who was dumb enough to come here while Natsu is like this?" asked Lisanna who was really concerned for the person trying to come here since Natsu was obviously not happy.

"It's Erza." replied Wendy after smelling the air for a bit.

"You slayers and your heightened senses." said Cana as she shook her head while smiling down at Akari.

"What does she think she's doing?" asked Mira not being able to figure out what could be going through Erza's head.

"You don't think that she's trying to take Akari away do you?" asked Lisanna.

"I hope not otherwise one of those two is going to end up dead." replied Wendy with a frown.

"Don't worry everyone, Master said that the guild will not try and forcibly take Akari away from Natsu. And we all know that Erza would never go against Master's orders." stated Mira which made all of the other girls relax a bit.

 **Outside with Natsu:**

"I thought that I told you guys what would happen if you came here Titania." said Natsu in a deep and threatening voice which caused Erza to flinch due to it and Natsu not even saying her name.

"You did but I just wanted to talk about this Natsu." replied Erza.

"There's nothing to talk about Titania." stated Natsu in the same voice as he glared at her.

"But there is Natsu, just think about Akari for a second here. She needs a dad and a mom, you're only able to fill one of those roles Natsu so please reconsider this?" asked Erza.

"Are you saying that Akari will not turn out correctly if I raise her by myself Titania?" asked Natsu as his voice got even deeper somehow.

"Well yes and no Natsu, it's just that she will have a better life if she has both parents." replied Erza.

"I just keep learning more and more about you today Titania. First that you only ever saw me as some sort of attack dog and now I am learning that you think pretty much everyone at Fairy Tail is screwed up." said Natsu with anger as fire actually spewed out of his mouth on a few words.

"Why do you keep calling me Titania, Natsu, and I never once saw you as an attack dog you are one of my closest friends Natsu. Also where in the world did you get the idea that I think everyone in Fairy Tail is screwed up?" asked Erza who was getting angry at this new Natsu.

"I am calling you Titania because I don't see the Erza that I grew up with who was also one of my closest friends, who I know wouldn't be doing this. But then again maybe I didn't know her as well as I thought I did and you can say that you don't see me as an attack dog Titania but the only thing that you said you trust me with is fighting, so how does that not make me an attack dog for you. And where I got the idea about you thinking all of Fairy Tail is screwed up is because you just said that a kid needs both parents to be normal Titania, and you might have forgotten this but pretty much seventy percent of the members didn't have their parents. Unfortunately for them they didn't get to have either of them and that even includes you Titania." explained Natsu still glaring at the woman that was still trying to get him to give up Akari.

"You do know me Natsu and I am still the same Erza that has always cared about you. Which is why I am doing this right now, I don't want you making a decision that could ruin the rest of your life." said Erza but as cut off by Natsu growling at her.

"I am going to pretend that you didn't just say to me that raising Akari would ruin my life Titania, because I would really prefer that we didn't fight anywhere near her." said Natsu as he showed off his fangs while speaking with his teeth clenched together in anger.

"Okay Natsu, as for seeing you as some sort of attack dog that is also just wrong. I have always trusted you with taking care of Fairy Tail in battle and also in making everyone feel at home." stated Erza with a little bit of stuttering at the beginning because of the killing intent that Natsu just gave off scared her since she has never felt that coming from him.

"It still sounds like a dog to me that attacks when told to and cheer's up its master when he's feeling down. But whatever we will just move past it since you told me something else that you apparently trust me with." said Natsu still glaring at her.

"And I don't think that about Fairy Tail Natsu, you are just misinterpreting my words Natsu. I didn't mean that kids can't grow up fine without their parents because as you pointed out we turned out all fine without them and Akari could too. I am just saying that she will be happier with an actual family that has a mom and dad." explained Erza.

"So now you are saying that we were all depressed little kids when we were younger." replied Natsu.

"Actually you're right Natsu, we were which I don't want to happen for Akari." said Erza thinking that she was finally getting through to Natsu.

"You're forgetting one thing Titania, we didn't have any parents while Akari is going to have me always there for her when she needs me." said Natsu with a smirk.

"You don't know that you will always be there for her Natsu." said Erza.

"Yes I do Erza, just like I have always been there for Fairy Tail when it needed me. But now I am going to be putting all of that focus and determination towards Akari, which should be enough since it seemed to be enough to save everyone else." declared Natsu.

"Are you saying that you are done with Fairy Tail?" asked Erza in shock at what she was hearing.

"No I am not Titania even though you guys tried to take Akari from me, what I am saying is that my priorities have just changed. They went from protecting Fairy Tail being first to doing that for Akari and with Fairy Tail now being the second priority, so I will still help Fairy Tail but only after I know that Akari will be safe." explained Natsu.

"Oh okay, but what if you get hurt or killed on one of your jobs Natsu? Who is going to take care of Akari then Natsu?" asked Erza.

"First off that could happen to anyone at any time Titania. I will admit that it is more likely with what we do, which is why I will be taking easier jobs until Akari gets a little older. And when she does I will have been training the whole time with the sole purpose of making sure that I will always be there to protect her and be there for any other reason that she needs me for." said Natsu as he then heard a soft whimper come from his house and almost took off to see what's wrong. But he didn't since he needed to wrap this up before he went to see what's going on, besides he knows that those women in there would never hurt her.

"Natsu why can't you see that I am only trying to help both of you here?" asked Erza.

"I know that Titania which is why I haven't attacked you yet. What I am wondering is why can't you see that this is going to happen no matter what you say and that we both need each other right now." replied Natsu with his glare lessening just a little.

"What do you mean that you need her Natsu, and could you please stop calling my Titania?" asked Erza who was now concerned about what he meant by that statement.

"I am done talking here, now please leave before something happens that we will both regret Erza." said Natsu as he turned away from her and went back into his house. Erza just stood there for a few minutes trying to process everything that they just said to one another. Especially that comment about them needing each other, not being able to figure it out while she stood outside of his house Erza turned and headed back to her place. But she left with a small smile because of Natsu calling her by her name which gave her a little hope that they will be able to still be friends after all of this is figured out.

"What happened I thought I heard Akari start to cry?" asked Natsu as he burst through the door and saw Cana still holding Akari with a big smile.

"Well to get right down to it, apparently Akari isn't that comfortable with other people like we first thought." said Lisanna with a slight frown.

"Why what happened?" asked Natsu.

"While you were gone Mira wanted to hold her again and apparently Akari wasn't a fan." said Lisanna with a nervous chuckle.

"She hates me Natsu, why does she hate me while she loves Cana and Wendy?" asked Mira in between her quite sobs.

"Hey it's okay Mira, Akari doesn't hate you she's just too young to understand how great you are." said Natsu as he gave her a hug to try and calm her down.

"Okay but then why is she okay with Wendy and Cana?" asked Mira after calming down because of Natsu's calm words.

"Well you were saying that maybe she was okay with Wendy because of us having similar types of magic." suggested Natsu with a smile.

"Yea you're right but that doesn't explain why she likes Cana." pointed out Mira.

"Maybe because I am more motherly than you Mira." said Cana with a big grin as everyone else's mouths dropped to the floor at that comment.

"Cana how could you!" exclaimed Lisanna as Mira burst into tears while Lisanna tried to comfort her.

"Sorry but an opportunity like that was never going to come around again." replied Cana still grinning knowing that Mira was being over dramatic about this.

"I do wonder why she's fine with you Cana?" asked Natsu as he sat right next to her and looked at Akari who looked like she was really happy. And only got happier at seeing Natsu and tried to reach out and grab him.

"Seems like someone wants to go back to daddy." said Cana with a big smile as she handed Akari back over to Natsu.

"How's my little dragon doing?" asked Natsu and only got baby babble from Akari and her smiling back at him.

"Yes you were Akari, and daddy's so proud of you letting everyone hold you." said Natsu with a big grin.

"You understood her?" asked a skeptical Wendy.

"Nope but sometimes I just like to pretend that I know what she's saying, and Mira would you like to hold her now that I am back?" asked Natsu which instantly got Mira to stop crying and quickly take Akari away from Natsu while being right next to him and Akari holding his finger again.

And for the rest of the day the girls stayed at Natsu's place each taking turns holding Akari as they talked about this and that, just the normal things that people usually talk about to keep a conversation going. The girls were all surprised at how good Natsu was about feeding and cleaning Akari when she needed it, and just over all how good he was with her. They all remained there until it started to get dark out, which prompted Natsu to finally get up from the couch.

"Well it was really fun guys but Akari and I are going to go to sleep and she might even stay asleep for most of the night. You guys are welcome to stay here as long as you like just make sure you close the door when you leave, goodnight everyone." said Natsu with a tired grin and headed to his bedroom.

"Goodnight Natsu and Akari." they all said in their own unique ways as they left.

"Natsu really slipped into the father role like a glove didn't he." said Cana with a grin.

"I knew that he would ever since we were little." said Lisanna.

"Yea when you two played house together as husband and wife." teased Mira causing Lisanna to have a slight blush.

"All dragon slayers make good parents if they choose to have kids." stated Wendy with a smile.

"Wait, are you saying that Gajeel would be just like Natsu if he had a kid?" asked Cana with her eyes wide open in shock.

"No not like that, but he would definitely love his kids just as much as Natsu and be willing to do anything for them like Natsu. Gajeel wouldn't be nearly as willing to show his caring side to other people like Natsu is and would hide it like he does right now. No Natsu is still one of a kind on how much he cares for other people and what he's willing to do for them." replied Wendy with a smile.

"Well we should probably go and leave the two of them alone since they both had a really long day." said Cana as she got up to leave.

"At least Natsu didn't get into a fight with Erza." stated Mira as she followed.

"That is very fortunate for everyone, and Natsu seemed fine when he returned." said Wendy with a smile.

"Hey Wendy where's Carla?" asked Lisanna as they were just about to open the door.

"I don't know she never came back after Happy wanted to show her the crib." replied Wendy with a hand under her chin.

"You don't think that the two of them have been sleeping together in that crib do you?" asked Cana with a grin.

"Only one way to find out." said Mira with a big smile as she got a camera from somewhere.

"You have the flash off at least right?" asked Lisanna in a whisper as they creeped to Natsu's room as quietly as possible.

"Yes now be quiet everyone." said Mira as she opened the door as slowly as possible and crept into the room. The sight that they saw made all of them want to go aww, but they didn't because they were afraid that they might wake them up.

On Natsu's bed was the dragon slayer passed out with a loving smile on his face as he held Akari in his arms. And she too looked like she was as happy as could be nestled into his chest while being held protectively by his strong arms that were holding her lightly and ready to guard her as a moment's notice. Mira quickly took a few pictures while noticing Natsu's ears twitching and him taking in a big sniff of the air, obviously making sure that the noises that he heard weren't the noises of an intruder.

The group continued on to their original goal which was the crib that had almost any equally touching scene as what was on Natsu's bed. This one was of Happy and Carla curled up together both with smiles on their faces as they slept in the crib without a care in the world. Once again Mira took a few pictures and the group left the room not wanting to press their luck anymore and left Natsu's house and started to talk about what they had just seen all throughout the day and how they were all excited to see what the future brought with it.

 **End of Chapter**

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Thanks for reading and hope that all of you enjoyed it. I once again want to thank all of you for the support that you guys are giving this story and I am going to try and not disappoint you with it. Also a quick shout out to everyone that reviewed this story and have already gotten it just shy of 100 and is probably going to pass that shortly, so once again thank you. I also feel the need to say Sorry that unfortunately Mira has been taken out of the running for possible mates for a few reasons. I am saying this because for the first few hours of me posting the last chapter and having her as a candidate she easily took the lead and I realized that I didn't really want to write this story that way since I already have Natsu paired up with Mira in a different one of my stories. Also she was just too good of a match for this and it would be too predictable in my opinion which I have always tried to not do with my stories. So once Sorry about that everyone and I will have her as the loving aunt which she will be awesome at.**

 **I also want to clarify that I am not trying to bash any characters of Fairy Tail like someone thought I was, I was just trying to have an interesting story that would be somewhat believable. Which I thought I did with how some of Fairy Tail reacted to Natsu adopting a kid, because let's be honest how Natsu has been portrayed up till now is not someone that you would be fine with all of a sudden having a baby which is why a lot of Fairy Tail acted the way they did. Granted some of them went about it in the completely wrong way but they were all just concerned about Akari. This is something that I felt I needed to explain because of a review I got and wanted to clear up, so enough of my little rant explaining why I did what I did in this story. So as always feel free to leave me a review.**

 **Until the next Chapter**

 **Digem Out!**


	5. Unexpected Visitors

Ch 5: Unexpected Visitors

 **The next day at Fairy Tail:**

"Wow they look so happy together." stated Levy in a cheerful tone.

"I honestly wouldn't have believed it if I wasn't looking at it right now." replied Lucy in disbelief.

"Juvia could tell Natsu would be a good dad, Juvia just didn't want to disagree with Juvia's Grey-sama." said Juvia who was now thinking about Grey in a very delusional daydream.

"You all should have been there last night, he was completely amazing with her." said Mira with a huge smile.

"I would have come with you guys if I had known about it." said Levy who was now pouting that she missed out on meeting Akari.

"Sorry Levy we didn't really plan it, it kind of just happened." explained Lisanna with a small smile.

"I know I just didn't know how Natsu would react to me showing up at his place after everything just happened." said Levy still pouting.

"He would have been fine with you Levy, because you were neutral in the whole discussion. But if you had been against him then it is probably smart to stay away." said Cana who was already working on finishing her first barrel of the day.

"But Erza went their last night." pointed out Lucy.

"Yea and she's extremely lucky that she didn't get burned or worse." stated Cana with a big smile.

"Why are you smiling at that Cana, does Erza getting attacked by Natsu amuse you?" asked Lucy in an angry tone.

"Yes it does Lucy, it's good to finally see Natsu not cowering down to her just because she used to beat him up when they were little." replied Cana still smiling.

"Well it's also because she's stronger than Natsu too." said Lucy in a matter of fact way.

"HAHAHAHA." was Cana's only response to Lucy's statement and continued to laugh.

"Why is that so funny to you Cana, it's the truth." stated Lucy as she glared at Cana.

"She's laughing Lucy because that hasn't been true since you joined Fairy Tail." answered Mira who had been listening in on their conversation.

"What, no way you two are pulling a joke on me right?" asked Lucy but the two other women only shook their heads no to her question.

"Then why does Natsu cower to her and look like he's afraid of her?" asked Lucy.

"Cana was right about Natsu just being afraid of her because of their past together, when she could easily beat him. She did it so often when we were younger that Natsu naturally became afraid of her wrath." explained Mira with a big smile.

"But that is gone now and we might see it flipped the other way around." said Cana with a big grin.

"You can't be serious, Natsu wouldn't do that to Erza." stated Lucy once again as if it was plain as day.

"Were you not here yesterday?" Mira asked sarcastically knowing that Lucy was there.

"No she was here and against Natsu, so it would be smart if she stayed away from him for a while. Otherwise she might not be able to claim that she has perfect skin anymore." said Cana once again with a big grin on her face.

"Now you are really pulling my leg, there's no way that Natsu would attack me." said Lucy with a slight hitch in her voice since she was now not too sure about that.

"Seriously Lucy don't try and rush anything with Natsu, you all really hurt him yesterday when you tried to say that he couldn't be a good father to Akari. And even though Cana was somewhat joking about you getting burned by Natsu, I am pretty sure that he might actually do that to someone who was against him and not as strong as Erza." explained Mira with a frown.

"Why would you two think that Natsu would do something like that?" asked Lucy who now decided to heed their advice for now and stay away from Natsu.

"Because Bunny-girl you all challenged him and tried to take his kid from him. I am honestly surprised Titania actually walked away from Salamander without a fight breaking out between them, Salamander probably didn't attack because he is still concerned about his girl possibly get caught up in it." said Gajeel who was looking at the picture that Levy used to be holding.

"Gajeel give that back to me, I wasn't done looking at it." said Levy as she tried to grab it back form Gajeel but was failing horribly.

"Gajeel you are making it sound as if Natsu will be looking at us like we are his enemies." said Lucy with concern that it was exactly what Gajeel met.

"That is a better way of putting it Bunny-girl thanks, Salamander is going to look at you as enemies until he knows that you aren't going to try and hurt or take away his little girl." replied Gajeel with a smirk as he easily kept the picture away from Levy's attempts at getting it back.

"But I'm his partner." stated Lucy as if that made her exempt from the rules.

"You were his partner." stated Cana once again with a grin that was really starting to irritate Lucy.

"And what do you mean by that Cana?" asked an angry Lucy.

"Well you didn't support him on a huge decision in his life, but mainly Natsu will no longer be doing jobs for quite a while." answered Cana.

"Why in the world would he stop taking jobs?" asked Lucy which made everyone around her look at her as if she was an idiot.

"I don't know maybe because Natsu has a baby to take care of and is literally willing to leave Fairy Tail for her." replied Cana in an angry tone at how clueless Lucy was being about this whole situation.

"But what am I going to do about my rent, I need to go and talk with him right away?" said Lucy as she was about to take off for Natsu's place but was stopped by Erza.

"Sorry Lucy but that would be a terrible idea, what they were all saying earlier was true. I am indeed extremely lucky that Natsu and I didn't start fighting and it would have been a real fight that probably would have ended really badly." said Erza with a big frown.

"Really, how bad are we talking about?" asked Lucy in shock at hearing Erza confirm what the others said.

"Best case scenario we would no longer be friends, which I think is one of the reasons Natsu didn't attack me because he doesn't want to lose a friend that he's had for as long as he's been here." said Erza still frowning at the thought that she could have really lost Natsu as a friend yesterday.

"I definitely wouldn't call what you two had in our earlier years friendship." commented Cana with a smug grin that caused Erza to glare at her.

"Well it was Cana, and what is Levy trying to get from Gajeel's hand?" asked Erza as she watched Levy keep trying to get the picture from Gajeel and could tell that they were just messing around with each other right now.

"Levy was looking at this, I told her that I had more but she was too busy having fun with Gajeel to hear me." replied Mira with a smirk as she handed Erza a photo of Natsu and Akari sleeping together. It instantly made Erza have a soft smile spread across her lips and instantly feel regret about trying to separate the two of them, which made her remember the comment that Natsu made about them both needing each other.

"How did you get this?" asked Erza as her expression turned into a glare as she looked at Mira.

"When we visited Natsu and Akari yesterday he said that we could stay as long as we wanted when he and Akari went to sleep. And we happened to see this before we all left, so of course I just had to take a picture of it." replied Mira with a big smile and not being affected by the glare that Erza was giving her.

"Who is all included in this we that you speak of Mira?" asked Erza still glaring at the barmaid.

"That would be Lisanna, Wendy, Cana and me of course Erza. Why does it matter who's visiting the newest little family in Magnolia Erza?" asked Mira as she grinned at Erza.

"I was just wondering who Natsu was okay with coming to his place is all." stated Erza as she looked away from Mira not wanting to let the barmaid see how angry she was that they could actually visit the dragon slayer.

"I can help you out on that one Erza, Natsu will only allow members who didn't say that he would be a terrible father and then try and take his daughter from him. When they had absolutely no right to do such a thing despite how high and mighty they might act." said Cana with a little venom in her voice, with Mira having a big smile while nodding at what Cana just said.

"I was just trying to make sure that Natsu was actually thinking about this decision all the way through." replied Erza with a frown.

"I might have believed that Erza if you didn't literally try and dismember him in front of all of us. And then after learning what was really going on instantly trying to take Akari from Natsu with not even seeing if he was a good father. Which if you would like to know Erza, he's probably going to be the best father out of all the male members of Fairy Tail after seeing just the little bit of Natsu interacting with Akari yesterday. And I know that I am not the only one that thinks that after our little visit to his place yesterday." said Cana while glaring at Erza with the same voice as before with Mira and Lisanna nodding their heads in agreement at Cana's last statement and pretty much everything else she said.

"I was mainly concerned about the baby." mumbled Erza.

"Even if that is true you didn't think about the consequences of your actions Erza, Natsu is not going to be as forgiving as he used to be whenever it concerns Akari." said Cana still glaring at her.

"I see that now, so how was he?" asked Erza in a sad tone with a frown on her face.

"Oh you all should have seen it, Akari was asleep when we first got there and Natsu was so cautious to make sure that she didn't get woken up before she was ready. And you are never going to believe this Erza but the whole place was spotless and was actually completely baby proof as well." said Mira excitedly.

"Not only that but Natsu was extremely courteous and even got us tea while we were chatting with him. Natsu is really good with doing everything now with just his left hand." stated Lisanna with a big smile.

"That's really great to hear, but why is he good with his left hand now that he has Akari?" asked Erza with a small smile because she was glad to hear that Natsu was doing well with taking care of Akari according to her friends.

"That's because Akari is extremely clingy, well excluding a few people." said Cana with a smug smirk directed towards the two Strauss girls.

"I will figure out what you are doing Cana if it's the last thing I do." declared Mira as she glared at Cana who started to laugh at Mira which only mad her madder.

"I am confused on what's going on now." stated Lucy.

"Well while we were there visiting Natsu and Akari, she finally woke up so Natsu was fine with us holding her. And of course Mira had to be first and the only way for Akari to be okay with Mira holding her was for her to have Natsu's scarf and constantly be holding his finger." explained Lisanna with a small smile.

"What's that have to do with Cana doing something that Mira is obviously mad about?" asked Lucy with her head tilted in confusion.

"Akari just likes me more than Mira and doesn't need Natsu to actually be there when I'm holding her." declared Cana proudly.

"You're not that special Cana, Akari was fine with Wendy too." stated Mira as she started to pout.

"Yea but that is probably because Wendy and Natsu have similar magic." replied Cana while grinning at Mira.

"You're probably right about that Cana, but it still doesn't explain why Akari is fine with you of all people." said Mira angrily.

"I thought we already knew the answer to that Mira, it's because I am more motherly than you." replied Cana with a proud smirk, loving that she was able to say that again to Mira.

"That's, I don't, You're so, I have to go." said Mira as she then took off into the kitchen looking like she was about to cry.

"Cana how could you say that to her again." shouted Lisanna as she took off after her sister.

"Wow I have never seen Mira react like that." stated Erza in shock that Mira was rendered speechless by Cana's statement.

"I think that she might be crying." said Lucy with concern in her voice.

"Oh she's just being overdramatic about this and is just really angry that Akari likes other people better than her. Besides this is long overdue payback for what she was like when we were younger, Mira wasn't given the nickname demon of Fairy Tail she earned that through hard work." said Cana with a grin and not feeling sorry for Mira in the slightest.

"What's with all of the commotion over here?" asked Grey as he walked up to the women.

"Oh just looking at a photo of Akari and Natsu while talking about the two of them." replied Erza with a smile.

"Flame Brain is definitely going to screw this up majorly." replied Grey with a grin.

"And why are you grinning about that Grey?" asked Cana as she glared at him.

"Because then the idiot will know that he's not fit to raise a child." replied Grey still grinning.

"Well then you should never be allowed to have a kid either, not that it would ever happen since you are even denser than Natsu when it comes to relationships." said Cana with a lot of venom in her voice.

"What's that supposed to mean Cana?" asked Grey with an angry expression since he was just called dumber than Natsu at something.

"It means that you still haven't done absolutely anything about Juvia who has been professing her love for you since she met you." answered Cana.

"Hey Grey-sama is just waiting for the perfect time to tell Juvia about his feelings." said Juvia angrily as she just now got out of her daydream.

"Sorry Juvia but Grey is just like his magic, cold hearted and will probably never tell you one way or another. It's not you Juvia it's just the way he is, I don't think he's ever actually told any woman how he feels about them. Meaning that he will never have a kid of his own and we don't have to worry about him adopting one like Natsu since he's too cold to do something as kind as that." said Cana who wasn't going to let Grey bad mouth Natsu for something that he hasn't done before and hasn't even seen Natsu do yet.

"That's such bullshit Cana I have told plenty of women how I feel about them, and I think I should tell you how I feel about you right now." replied Grey in a pissed off tone.

"No need Grey right now you're angry that I pointed out another thing that Natsu is better than you at, but you are even more angry at yourself for not being able to tell how you feel to people that you actually care about. And before you deny it I have a better way for you to prove me wrong Grey, why don't you tell Juvia right now how you feel about her." said Cana while glaring at Grey.

"Screw this I don't need to prove anything to you Cana." said Grey as he turned away and started to walk away from them.

"Yea just run away Grey it is probably the only thing that you are actually better than Natsu at doing." Cana shouted at Grey who just stopped for a few seconds and then continued on.

"Shit Cana what has gotten into you?" asked Lucy as Juvia and Erza were just starring at Cana in disbelief.

"Nothing Lucy, I have always told everyone exactly what I thought about them. And Grey needed to hear all of that otherwise he was just going to keep doing what he's doing now. Also it made me angry that he would start saying things about Natsu when he hasn't even seen him with Akari except for when he brought her to the guild. And that alone should have made everyone realize how wrong they were about Natsu not being a fit parent, I mean the stood up to Erza here like it was nothing and was going to leave Fairy Tail without a second thought just to protect Akari." explained Cana and then took a big swig out of the second barrel of the day that she just started.

"Gray-sama will too make a great father." said Juvia sadly.

"Sorry about that Juvia and I bet he will be a great father too but Grey needed to wake up. And one of the easiest ways to do that is taunt him with Natsu being better then him at certain things." said Cana with a small smile.

"You really think that Grey-sama will make a good father?" asked Juvia with a small smile.

"Of course he will, and I can guarantee you that once Grey does have a kid he will constantly be competing with Natsu over who's the better dad." answered Cana with a big smile as she imagined the two of them dragging their kids into becoming rivals just like their parents.

"You might have been joking with Mira about being motherly Cana but I am now starting to see it. I mean you were strict with Erza earlier and you just gave Grey a big dose of tough love." said Lucy with a big grin.

"Shut up Lucy, don't start saying such crazy things." said Cana who couldn't help but smile at the compliment.

"Gajeel this is no longer fun anymore." said Levy as she sat down next of Lucy with a sigh.

"Still is for me Shrimp." replied Gajeel with a grin.

"I don't even want it anymore, and has anyone seen Wendy lately?" asked Levy as she looked for her fellow bluenette.

"If I recall correctly Alzack and Bisca were looking for her earlier." answered Lucy.

"What for?" asked Erza since Wendy really didn't interact with those two that much.

"No idea, they didn't tell me and I didn't ask them." replied Lucy.

"I have an idea what's going on here." said Cana with a grin on her face.

"What did they want with Wendy?" asked Levy.

"To be taken to Natsu's house I would assume." replied Cana still grinning.

"Oh come on this is now the second time I missed an opportunity to see Akari, now give me that picture back Gajeel!" shouted Levy as she jumped for the picture that Gajeel easily pulled out of the way.

"Nope Shrimp but I think I have a better idea." said Gajeel with a grin as he tore up the picture right in front of Levy as she stood there with her mouth open in horror at what Gajeel just did.

"Your idea better be good Gajeel otherwise you are so going to get it for tearing up that picture." said Levy as one of her eyebrows was twitching in rage.

"Guaranteed, because why look at a picture when you could go look at the real thing." replied Gajeel with a big grin.

"Are you saying what I think you are saying Gajeel?" asked Levy in disbelief.

"Yep, I will take you to where Salamander and his kid are." answered Gajeel with the same grin as before.

"Thank you so much Gajeel, but are you sure that Natsu will be okay with this?" asked Levy as hugged him.

"Salamander might be a little protective right now, but he's still the same Salamander that you guys have always known. He just now has something that he cares about more than anything else in the world." explained Gajeel.

"Well then let's go." cheered Levy as she got up and started to head towards the entrance of the guild.

"Gajeel would it be okay if Juvia came along too?" asked Juvia nervously thinking that Gajeel would say no since she agreed with most of the guild that Natsu shouldn't raise Akari. Even though she only did that since she didn't want to go against her Grey-sama.

"Sure I don't think Salamander will mind." said Gajeel still grinning.

"Then can I come too?" asked Lucy with a big smile.

"Sorry Bunny-girl but I am going to have to say no to that." replied Gajeel while losing his grin.

"But why Gajeel, Juvia also agreed with most of the guild about Natsu not taking care of Akari?" asked Lucy with a frown.

"Well Juvia only did that so she wouldn't disappoint ice stripper and Salamander is smart enough to know that. But you on the other hand Bunny-girl where one of the first to say that he shouldn't keep Akari and that definitely hurt Salamander a lot since he believed that his team would have supported him. Unfortunately for Salamander his team was actually the ones leading the charge on not letting him keep his kid, so there is no way I am going onto his turf with one of the people that hurt him the most." explained Gajeel as he glared at both Erza and Lucy. And with that said he turned away from them and headed out of the guild with Juvia and Levy who were both excited to go and see Akari.

"Hey where did everyone else go?" asked Mira as she came out of the kitchen.

"To go and visit Natsu and Akari." replied Lucy grumpily.

"Really, I want to go too." said Mira happily as she headed to the doors to catch up with the group that just left.

"Mira, I already covered for you and Lisanna yesterday I am not going to do it again." stated Kinana with a glare that almost rivaled Mira's.

"But Akari." replied Mira as she pointed to the door.

"I know you want to Mira, but remember our agreement." said Kinana with a big smile as she came up to Mira.

"Yes, but I still want to go." said Mira with a frown.

"And I wanted to go yesterday, so today's my turn and I have to go before I lose them." replied Kinana with a big smile as she took off after the group that was going to visit Natsu and Akari who were almost out of sight.

"Pooh, I really wanted to see her." pouted Mira as she watched Kinana leave.

"Don't worry Mira you'll be able to visit them every other day, while I on the other hand can visit them every day." said Cana with another smug grin.

"Then why aren't you going with them now?" asked Mira because if she was in Cana's position she wouldn't be sitting in the guild right now.

"Because they are going to be busy with Akari meeting new people, so I am going to wait until all of that is done and then maybe drop by when they aren't so busy." answered Cana and then took a drink.

"You've actually thought this through haven't you?" asked Mira with a smirk.

"That is usually what people do in most situations Mira." replied Cana.

"Sure, I am going to be keeping my eye on you Cana." said Mira as she pointed at her eyes and then pointed at Cana.

"Whatever Mira, you do whatever makes you happy." said Cana with a grin and then they heard someone shout COOOOL.

"Hello Jason, what can I do for you today?" asked Mira with a big smile on her face.

"Well I would like to talk to Natsu about some rumors that have been spreading around recently and they are pretty crazy." said Jason with a big smile.

"You know that Natsu doesn't do interviews with anyone since he thinks that all you guys are going to do is wright about how he breaks things." replied Mira still smiling at Jason.

"I do, which is why I would like to ask your Master a few questions and see if he can confirm anything for us." said Jason.

"I'll go inform him, I will be back with you in a bit Jason." said Mira as she left to go talk to Master Makarov who was in his office.

"Before you even ask Jason, I have no time for an interview or even to answer a few questions." said Cana with a grin as she watched Jason's smile drop at being shot down before he even got to ask.

"Why not Cana?" asked Jason with a small smile and Cana just grinned back at them and then went back to drinking.

"Jason Master Makarov will see you now." said Mira from the second level with a big smile.

"Good I just hope he's more helpful than Cana here." replied Jason as he headed up stairs.

"I wouldn't count on that Jason." said Cana with a big smile on her face.

 **Earlier that day at the Dragneel residence:**

"Wow uncle Natsu lives all the way out here?" asked Asuka who was riding on top of Alzack's shoulders.

"Yep, I think it's because he doesn't like the feeling that the city gives off or because it's too crowded." guessed Bisca as she smiled up at Asuka.

"Is that true Wendy?" asked Asuka.

"Pretty much, since Natsu was raised out in the wild when he was younger he likes to live in the wild. Natsu feels more comfortable living out by himself where he can have some peace and quiet." said Wendy as they came up to the door of Natsu's house.

"I don't think he's going to be having that anymore though." said Alzack with a big grin.

"Why's that daddy?" asked Asuka as Wendy knocked on the door.

"Because babies are up at all hours of the night needing attention." replied Bisca.

"Just a minute and we'll be right there." came Natsu's voice from inside of the house.

"Did I do that?" asked Asuka as she leaned onto her dad's head.

"That you did honey, all babies do. But you grew out of it quickly and have ever since been a huge fan of sleeping." answered Alzack with a big smile.

"Why wouldn't I like to sleep, you need to do that for the next day to come." stated Asuka which caused the rest to laugh quietly just as the door opened with Natsu standing there with a little Akari attached to his right arm.

"Hi everyone good to see you guys, and what brings you all the way out to my neck of the woods?" asked Natsu with a really big grin on his face because he knew exactly why they were here.

"Because we want to see my first cousin uncle Natsu." cheered Asuka with a big smile.

"Oh if that's the case then why don't you all come on in and make yourselves at home." said Natsu as he led them into his house.

"Wow Natsu I didn't know that your place was this nice." stated Alzack as he took Asuka off of his shoulders.

"It's fine, but I have to figure out what I am going to do once Akari here starts to get bigger." said Natsu with a big smile as he sat down in the middle of the couch and motioned to Akari. Who was sucking on Natsu's scarf and staring at Asuka with really big eyes and didn't seem interested with anything else at the moment.

"How much did you have to pay for a place like this Natsu if you don't mind me asking?" asked Bisca as she admired his nice little place as she sat down next to him.

"Not much since I only bought the materials for it than built it myself, and have been constantly fixing it up. Man was it bad after being neglected for seven years, which was by far the toughest repairs, that I have done for it to date." answered Natsu as he watched Akari.

"Sorry about that we would have done something while you were gone but none of us actually knew where you lived." said Alzack with a sheepish grin.

"HAHAHAHA yea I usually don't get visitors all the way out here, and don't worry about that Alzack you had way more important things to be concerned about. Like making sure that I got to meet the best niece in the whole wide world, isn't that right Asuka?" asked Natsu as he smiled at Asuka who was in a staring contest with Akari but looked away when Natsu said her name.

"Yep uncle Natsu, and was I as small as her?" asked Asuka as she pointed at Akari.

"Yes you were honey, actually when you were first born you were even smaller." said Bisca with a big smile as she watched Asuka's eyes widen.

"Really, how small was I?" asked Asuka as she looked back to Akari who was still staring at her.

"You were only about this big." replied Alzack as he showed her with his hands.

"That's barely smaller than she is right now." stated Asuka with a frown because she wasn't smaller when she was first born.

"That is actually a huge difference Asuka, especially for me." said Bisca with a big smile.

"Hi Carla and Happy." said Asuka as she forgot about her conversation with her mother and waved at the two exceeds that came out of the kitchen together.

"Hi Asuka." replied Happy with the biggest smile any of them had ever seen on the Exceed.

"Hi Asuka what are you up to on this fine day?" asked Carla with a smile since she had a soft spot for the little girl.

"I came to see my first cousin, and hold her." cheered Asuka happily.

"That's only if it's okay with uncle Natsu though Asuka." reminded Alzack with a big smile on his face.

"Can I hold her uncle Natsu pretty please?" asked Asuka with a big smile and eyes to match it.

"I am fine with that if you promise to be very gentle Asuka, but I do have to warn you that Akari is kind of shy around new people and might not want to be held by you. But I really don't think you have to be worried about that since she's been staring at you this whole time." said Natsu with a big smile as he patted the spot in between him and Bisca for Asuka to sit.

"Yea, I just know that she'll like me." declared Asuka as she climbed up the couch to sit in between Natsu and Bisca.

"Hey Akari your cousin Asuka really wants to hold you so I hope you're fine with that." said Natsu as he started to pass Akari over to Asuka who he didn't know if she big enough to actually hold Akari so Natsu place Akari onto Asuka's lap. And surprisingly Akari was fine with it and actually smiled at Asuka this made Natsu wonder why Akari would be okay with this.

Natsu then thought of something that made him frown for a second but was able to get rid of it before anyone noticed it. He realized that Akari's actually sister was roughly around Asuka's age so they were around the same size and could only assume that Akari thought of Asuka as her sister which is why Natsu frowned knowing that Akari would unfortunately never get to have that meeting.

"See uncle Natsu I told you that we would be best friends." said Asuka with a big smile.

"I don't remember you ever saying that to me Asuka, what I do remember is you saying that Akari was going to like you which you were correct about Auska." replied Natsu with a really big grin.

"Well I guess that I am telling you that now uncle Natsu, me and Akai are going to be best friends." said Asuka as she smiled at Akari.

"That's great Asuka but her names Akari." responded Natsu with a big smile.

"That's what I said uncle Natsu." said Asuka as she looked up at Natsu.

"So Carla I just realized that you were already here before we got here, why is that?" asked Bisca with a big smile.

"Well you see yesterday there was this thing and…" said Carla nervously but was cut off by Happy.

"We slept together!" cheered Happy who was then hit by Carla on the back of the head.

"I told you not to say it that way Happy because it sounds a lot worse than it actually is." said an enraged Carla.

"But that's what we did Carla, we both fell asleep in Akari's bed." said Happy with a small frown.

"Don't you mean crib Happy?" asked Natsu with a big smirk.

For the next few minutes they all watched as Carla over reacted when Happy would talk about the crib and they laughed at the two Exceeds. During this time Akari was eventually passed on to the others with Natsu being there if it wasn't Wendy, the conversation then switched over to things that Alzack and Bisca thought that Natsu might want to get a heads up on. Since they both wished that someone would have given them warnings about them, after that they started to talk about what his plans were for the future and pretty much anything that involved Akari. Asuka still being a kid got tired of this and started to play with some of the toys that Natsu bought for Akari even though she can't use over half of them. They had just finished a late lunch that Bisca made for them after convincing Natsu that she would be fine doing all of it on her own and that she wanted to do it, after which Natsu caught some scents that he was really surprised to smell.

"Well looks like there's going to be having a few more guests." said Natsu as he went to the door actually being able to use his right hand since Akari was asleep in Wendy's arms.

"Who is it?" asked Asuka excited that more people where coming that could play with her.

"Why don't you open the door and find out?" said Natsu with a smile as he stepped aside so Asuka could open the door.

"Okay uncle Natsu." said Asuka with a big grin and opened the door.

"Welcome to uncle Natsu's." said Asuka with a big smile as she stood in the door way.

"Hi Asuka, is it okay if we come in?" asked Levy with a big smile.

"Yes but you have to be quiet Akai is sleeping." said Asuka as she turned around and was about to let them in.

"Thanks Asuka and we'll be quiet." said Kinana with a big smile.

"Wait there's something else you have to do before you come in." said Asuka as she spun around and held out her little arms to stop them.

"And what's that Asuka?" asked Juvia with a big smile.

"You have to agree to play with me." stated a determined Asuka.

"What, I am not going to play house just to see Salamander's kid." stated Gajeel.

"Then you can't come in." replied Asuka as she glared at Gajeel which looked more cute than intimidating which is what Asuka was going for.

"Who made you the boss on who can enter Salamander's house?" asked Gajeel as he glared at the little girl standing in their way who seemed to not be fazed by his glare at all.

"Who's Salamander and uncle Natsu put me in charge?" said Asuka as she pointed at herself proudly with her thumb.

"Salamander is just what Gajeel calls uncle Natsu, so can I come in and see Akari and play with you Asuka?" explained Levy with a big smile.

"Yep, anyone who's going to play with me can come in." stated Asuka as she cutely glared at Gajeel again.

"Thanks Asuka." said the girls as they walked in past her and went into the living room.

"I am going to just come in." stated Gajeel as he was about to just walk past Asuka but Natsu then appeared with a smug grin on his face.

"Hey Salamander can you make this little girl let me in?" asked Gajeel in an annoyed tone.

"Uncle Natsu he won't play with me." said Asuka with a said face.

"Sorry Gajeel but if you don't play with Asuka for a little bit you can't come in." replied Natsu with the same grin on his face.

"You can't be serious Salamander?" asked Gajeel.

"Oh but I am Gajeel, if you can't spend at least five minutes playing with Asuka here then you'll have to wait outside. And the last time other women came to see Akari they stayed until it was completely dark outside." answered Natsu still grinning like a mad man just enjoying the fact that Gajeel was now going to have to play with Akari because there was no way he was just going to leave Levy here. Not that Gajeel thought anything would bad happen to her, but dragons are very protective of the things that they care about and so are the dragon slayers.

"Fine but only for five minutes tops." said Gajeel as he let out a sigh.

"Yea this is the first time we've played together and uncle Natsu says you're really fun to play with." said Asuka as she grabbed Gajeel's hand and started to try and pull him in.

"Me and Salamander don't play." stated Gajeel.

"Yea you two do, I've seen you guys play tons of times and uncle Natsu is always laughing and smiling." said Asuka as she continued to tug on Gajeel's hand.

"She's talking about the guild wide brawls." explained Natsu with a smirk.

"Oh okay, might as well get this over with." said Gajeel after letting out another sigh.

"Hey it's not going to be that bad Gajeel, Levy is going to love seeing you play with Asuka." said Natsu with a huge smile on his face.

"This is all your fault Salamander I will get you back someday." stated Gajeel as Asuka finally got him to start moving.

"Oh come on Gajeel, you're going to enjoy yourself I just know it." said Natsu as he help Asuka bring Gajeel in by pushing on his back.

"Look who's finally agreed to join us." said Natsu as they stepped into the living room.

"Let's get this done kid." said Gajeel with a grumpy face.

"My names Asuka, Gajeel, now let's go build a tower." said Asuka as she pulled a reluctant Gajeel to a pile of blocks with all of the other adults just smiling at him.

"She's so cute." said Kinana who was sitting really close to Wendy to get a good look at Akari.

"That she is, when did Akari go to sleep Natsu?" asked Levy hoping that it was a while ago so that Akari might wake up soon.

"She went to sleep an hour ago so she probably stay asleep for a little bit longer." replied Natsu.

"Darn I really wanted to hold her." stated Levy with a frown.

"If you want you can hold Akari while she's sleeping." said Natsu with a big smile.

"Really and you won't mind at all Wendy?" asked Levy with a huge smile.

"Of course I won't mind, besides I have been holding her for more than an hour already." replied Wendy with a small smile.

"Are you sure that this won't wake her up Natsu?" asked Levy with concern in her voice.

"No but if it does, then I'll just have to calm Akari down and then you can all finally get to meet her. Besides I could really go for another night where she isn't up every two hours wanting something, and that didn't happen last night and I think it's because Akari was meeting new people yesterday." answered Natsu with a big grin.

"Okay, pass her over Wendy." said Levy with a big smile. Wendy happily obliged with the request and carefully handed over Akari who remained asleep.

"Aww she's still asleep and look at her hair, it's exactly like yours Natsu." said Levy who lit up like it was Christmas just form holding Akari.

"Yea it really makes you think, I mean what are the odds that we would both have the same hair color. Which is quite rare even among women, but I just happen to find her and just from that little detail everyone else will definitely believe that she's actually mine." stated Natsu as he watched Akari who started to look like she was about to wake up. He quickly placed his right hand on her stomach that she quickly grabbed and had a smile spread across her face.

"Have you decided what you are going to tell people outside of the guild about her?" asked Kinana who smiled after watching Natsu make sure that Akari wouldn't be waking up until she wanted to.

"No I haven't really, and judging from the reactions that I got from telling everyone at Fairy Tail I am honestly contemplating on just lying." said Natsu with a frown while shocking his guests.

"But you never lie Natsu, also every time that you have tried you have failed horrible." said Kinana with a gentle smile.

"True, but that was when I didn't have a good reason to lie but now I definitely have more than enough reasons why I should lie about this." replied Natsu still having that small frown that looked wrong on him.

"And what would they be Natsu?" asked Levy who just like everyone else didn't like seeing Natsu this way.

"First one would be that it would help protect Akari from whoever targeted her original family. The other main one would be that if I just said that she's mine, then no one else would even think about trying to take her away from me like Erza and Gramps did." said Natsu with a growl at the end.

"Natsu, Juvia is really sorry that she didn't stick up for you back then." said Juvia who looked really sad about it.

"No worries Juvia, I know that you didn't want to do anything that might get Grey to not like you. Even though that is kind of stupid, I now get why you are literally willing to do anything for him Juvia because I have found someone that I am also willing to do that for." said Natsu with a really big smile.

"Really just like that Natsu, you'll forgive Juvia for doing such a terrible thing?" asked Juvia in disbelief.

"Like I said Juvia, I finally understand your feelings for Grey. Granted mine are a little different but we are both willing to do anything to make the one that we care about happy even if it was something as giving up the life we're living now." said Natsu as he smiled at his daughter who was hugging his hand.

"Thank you Natsu, that makes Juvia really happy and Juvia is glad that you have Akari and knows that you're going to be the best father for her ever." said Juvia with a big smile.

"See I told you Juvia that Salamander would understand." said Gajeel who was behind an impressive castle that initially started out as a wooden block tower but somehow turned into Gajeel making his own pieces out of metal so that he and Asuka could keep building. Everyone else wanted to point this out to Gajeel and inform him that five minutes passed a long time ago but Asuka and him where having too much fun for any of them to ruin it by a simple comment or joke in Natsu's case.

"So Natsu what was the lie that you were thinking of telling?" asked Alzack who wanted to know so that he could help Natsu in any way possible, because Natsu's reasons were ones that he could completely understand.

"I don't really know, like Kinana said I have always been a terrible liar." stated Natsu with a faint grin because he was okay with being a terrible liar because it wasn't something that he really wanted to be good at.

"Well then I would try and make it simple and as truthful as possible." suggested Bisca with a small smile.

"Like what?" asked Natsu because he really wasn't good at this.

"Possibly that her mother died in child birth and that you just now learned about Akari and went to go get her a little over a week ago." suggested Levy.

"Okay, but what do I tell them when they ask about her mother and who she was?" asked Natsu knowing that those would have been the next questions asked.

"You could say that you are not going to talk about any of that out of respect for her family and don't want them getting dragged into any of this when they just lost their daughter." said Kinana.

"You could talk about what she was like and other things that you learned about Akari's mom, you know stuff that is true so you won't be lying. And that will make it a little bit more believable that you knew her and had a kid with her and that you just don't want to talk about her." suggested Bisca.

"But what about him not being with Akari's mom?" asked Alzack.

"Natsu could say that they had a relationship that he kept secret for obvious reasons and then she ended it with him. So he didn't know that she was pregnant, it's a thing that unfortunately happens more than you would think." suggested Levy with a frown.

"But that makes Akari's mom sound bad." said Natsu in a slightly angry tone.

"No not really Natsu, because in this hypothetical situation Akari's mom only did all of that so that she wouldn't be forcing you to stay with her. Because most of the time if a woman gets pregnant, a guy will stay with them out of obligation even if they don't love each other anymore." explained Levy.

"That's the stupidest thing I have ever heard, I don't get how any man could not love the women that gave him a child?" asked Natsu still using his angry tone.

"Settle down Salamander, it's something that only humans really do." stated Gajeel who was making the castle even bigger and yes it was a castle now, it stopped being a simple tower a long time ago.

"It's still really stupid." stated Natsu with a frown.

"Is this another slayer thing?" asked Kinana.

"Yes because we have so many things in common with dragons as you all already know. And when a dragon finds its mate and finally has a child with them that is when they truly become mates that will love each other and no one else until the end of time. It's the same way with all of us slayers, well at least the ones that were raised by dragons that is." explained Wendy with a slight blush.

Right after Wendy finished her explanation Akari let out a little yaw as she woke up and looked up at Levy with big eyes as she took in the appearance of a new person holding her. After a few moments of the two of them staring at each other Akari let out a little giggle and then started to suck on Natsu's scarf that she had with her the whole time.

"Oh my lord Akari's even cuter when she's awake." squealed Levy in delight.

"She has really beautiful eyes." pointed out Kinana who was right next to Levy smiling at the small child.

"Yep one of the only things that I actually know that she got from her mother." said Natsu with a sad smile.

"There you go Natsu, that's one of the things that you can say when people ask you about her mother. You say that the only thing that she got from you was the hair and the rest was her beautiful mother." said Bisca with a happy smile since this would help him out a lot.

"Well that is mostly true." said Natsu with a big grin.

"Hi Akari, I'm your aunt Levy and that big man over there in that huge block fort with Asuka is your uncle Gajeel." said Levy with a really big smile.

"Aunt Levy you forgot to tell Akai that I am her cousin and best friend." said Asuka with a cute glare sent at Levy from behind one of the towers of the huge castle. This caused everyone to chuckle at Asuka and it even included Gajeel who everyone could see warmed up to Asuka instantly and no one could blame him, Asuka was just to adorable to not fall in love with.

"Sorry Asuka, but I'm sure Akari already knows that." replied Levy with a big smile.

"Okay aunt Levy, uncle Gajeel let's make a stable for their horses." said Asuka with a big smile as she looked up at Gajeel who could only smile back down at the little girl.

"And here Akari are probably the only other people that you haven't been introduced to yet. And they are your aunt Juvia and aunt Kinana who will be there to help you or your daddy if you guys ever need help, just like everyone else in this room." continued Levy with a really big smile that got Akari to smile back with Natsu's scarf in her mouth.

"Thanks Levy and everyone else, you guys really are the best. It really means a lot to the both of us that we have such a great family and I just know that Akari is going to love all of her aunts." said Natsu with a huge grin on his face.

"Even some of the more crazy ones?" asked Kinana with a big smirk as she thought of a few members that were a little bit more than just crazy.

"Yep even those aunts and let's not forget her uncles." said Natsu as he grinned at Alzack and Gajeel, Alzack just grinned back at Natsu while Gajeel didn't even notice because he was still playing with Asuka.

"Can I hold her now?" asked Kinana as she looked at Levy.

"I really want to say no and keep her all to myself, but that wouldn't be fair to you two so here you go Kinana." said Levy as she passed Akari over to Kinana and let her sit next to Natsu.

"Let's not forget that you wouldn't be keeping her away from me Levy." said Natsu with a grin that Levy could tell that he was serious while still joking around.

"Well aren't you just the most precious little thing that I have ever seen." stated Kinana as she tickled Akari causing the little girl to let out some giggles of enjoyment.

"Wow Kinana she usually doesn't like anyone but me, Wendy and Cana doing that to her." said Natsu with a big grin.

"Does that mean you like your aunt Kinana a lot Akari?" asked Kinana with a really big smile on her face.

"Natsu, Juvia just noticed that you aren't wearing your scarf, what happened to it?" asked Juvia with concern since she like everyone else knew how much Natsu cared about that scarf which was the last thing that Igneel ever gave him.

"Someone else seems to love it more than even I do and I can't seem to say no to her." said Natsu as he smiled at Akari who was sucking on said scarf as he spoke. The three new girls just now realized that it was with Akari this whole time and she was using it like a blanket that she loved to suck on and Natsu didn't seem to mind one bit about her doing that.

"Wow you really would do anything for Akari." stated Juvia with a big smile because this was proof to her that Natsu did truly understand her a little more than he did before.

"Yep, Akari's my little dragon that I won't let anything bad happen to." replied Natsu with a loving smile directed to his daughter.

So just like the previous night Natsu and Akari's guests stayed until the sun went down. The whole time having pleasant conversations about anything that someone wanted to talk about. The whole time Akari was being passed around to everyone except for Gajeel, because he was extremely focused on his and Asuka's castle. Gajeel continued to work on it even after Asuka fell asleep, which everyone just smiled at and let him be. Whenever Juvia was holding Akari she would make comments about how she couldn't wait to have one of her own with her Grey-sama which didn't surprise anyone there. But just like the previous night it got so late that Akari was down for the count and Natsu wanted to monopolize on this peaceful sleep that he would be getting tonight.

"It was really fun you guys, feel free to stop by whenever you want." said Natsu with a big grin as he stood in the doorway with Akari in his right arm.

"We will." replied Levy with a big grin.

"You can count on not just us wanting to see Akari." said Kinana with a smirk.

"Yea I know that they are all going to want to come back eventually." said Natsu as he thought about how happy the three girls were from yesterday.

"Not just them Natsu, all of the guild wants to visit and apologize for how they acted." explained Kinana with a smile.

"I am fine with most of them coming as long as they aren't in big groups. Today was as large as my little place can handle." said Natsu with a grin.

"I will make sure that they know that." replied Kinana.

"Thanks Kinana and I told you Gajeel that you would enjoy it." said Natsu with a shit eating grin on his face.

"Not a word about this to anyone Salamander and that also goes for the rest of you." said Gajeel as he glared at everyone.

"We promise uncle Gajeel, but Asuka is definitely going to want to play with you again." said Bisca with a big grin as she looked at Asuka who was asleep and being held by Alzack.

"Only she can call me that, and I wouldn't mind that." mumbled Gajeel just loud enough for the rest of hear.

"It's okay you big softy Gajeel, everyone is still going to be afraid of you they just will now know that you care for Asuka. Which means that absolutely no one is going to mess with her when she has two uncles that are dragons." said Natsu with a grin that looked like he was picturing himself in a fight that he was definitely winning.

"You got that right Salamander." replied Gajeel who had the same grin as Natsu. This made everyone else really concerned for anyone that might accidentally be mean or make Asuka cry, because they could all see that whoever did that was going to never make that mistake again for the rest of their lives.

"Bye Natsu, Juvia really had fun and would love to do it again sometime." said Juvia as she got the group to start walking again.

"Like I said before you are all welcome to come over whenever you want." replied Natsu as he waved them off and then went back inside.

"Akari we definitely have one of the weirdest families ever but I wouldn't change that if I could because they are also one of them most loving families out there as well." said Natsu as he headed to their room and smiled when he saw that Carla seemed to be spending the night again. And could only smile knowing how thrilled Happy must be about this and that she was now only calling him by his actual name and never calling him tomcat which he was never a fan of.

 **One month later:**

Natsu was holding Akari trying to get her to say daddy since in his opinion she was so close to saying it, when she was only saying da over and over again switching to other baby babbles that most babies make when they are trying to talk.

"Come on Akari you can do it, daddy that isn't so hard to say is it?" asked Natsu.

"Dada." babbled Akari with a big smile as she watched Natsu's face contort into weird expressions.

"You know what Akari I am going to count that for now." replied Natsu with a big smile that he lost as soon as his door was flung open and Happy flew in.

"Natsu I need your help!" shouted Happy as he started to freak out.

"Calm down Happy you know I am always going to help you." said Natsu.

"She's back Natsu and she's going to find me I need somewhere to hid." shouted Happy as he started to fly around their place looking for a hiding spot, this made Akari laugh at Happy as he zipped all over place faster than she could keep up with.

"Happy I have no idea what is happening right now so you need to explain so I can help you." said Natsu with a big grin knowing that Happy was over reacting like he always does.

"No Natsu you don't get it, SHE'S coming and this time I just know that she's going to be the death of me." shouted Happy as he grabbed both of Natsu's cheeks not caring that Akari was already holding his tail happily.

"Oh she's coming." said Natsu as he finally figured out what was going on.

"So what are we going to do?" asked Happy who looked like he was about to die.

"Sorry buddy but there is nothing that can stop her, so you are going to have to man up and deal with it." replied Natsu with a big grin that he used to mask his actual concern for Happy and his wellbeing.

"NOOOOOO!" shouted Happy dramatically as he fell to the floor.

 **End of Chapter**

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Thanks for reading and I hope that you all enjoyed it. So I want to apologize to anyone that I told earlier that one of the other main candidates for the mom was going to show up in this chapter, but I got carried away with other things and this is what came from that. But the next one is definitely going to have one of them show up, so once again sorry if I lied to any of you. So as always feel free to leave me a review.**

 **Until the next Chapter**

 **Digem Out!**


	6. Cat Problems

Ch 6: Cat Problems

A lot has happened over the past month for Fairy Tail, the biggest was Natsu completely being devoted to raising Akari and not going on any jobs and causing mass destruction like he usually does. Which unfortunately for Natsu was noticed by the biggest fan of Fairy Tail, the reporter Jason who kept stopping by each week to ask Master Makarov questions about the absent dragon slayer.

Another thing that happened over the last month was eventually ever member of Fairy Tail going to his place and apologizing about their previous actions and words. Well not everyone has visited the little family yet, but that was because of people like Gajeel and Cana saying that it was still too soon for them to visit Natsu and not run the risk of him attacking them. And these people were Team Natsu and Master Makarov who all knew that what they did hurt Natsu the most since they were supposed to be his closest friends and family.

Gildarts hadn't visited them yet either but that was because he didn't even know about Akari at all and if he did he would probably return to Fairy Tail as fast as possible. Just so he could see the little bundle of joy that would be like a granddaughter to the crash mage. Over the month there were a few people who became regular visitors for Natsu and Akari, who would visit them sometimes more than four times a week.

Of course some of these visitors were obvious like Mira, Lisanna, Wendy and the Connell family because of Asuka wanting to be best friends with Akari and also because she loved her uncle Natsu. But some of the others really surprised Natsu like Cana and Juvia coming to visit them just as much as Mira, which Natsu would have never guessed to happen because of certain reasons. Things like cutting into valuable drinking time for Cana, or time that could have been spent with her precious Grey-sama in Juvia's case.

Cana really seemed to enjoy playing with Akari and really loved to rub it in Mira's face that she was still one of the few people that Akari let hold her without Natsu still touching her. Juvia loved to hold Akari and talk about her child that she planned to have with her Grey-sama and how she would make sure that Akari and her child would become great friends and wouldn't fight like Natsu and Grey.

But by far the most surprising constant visitors for Natsu were Kinana, Levy and Gajeel. Well Levy and Kinana weren't that surprising since they were both girls and Natsu quickly learned that they all seemed to love doing anything with Akari. Kinana literally loved doing anything with Akari and that included changing her diaper even though Natsu told her that she didn't have to do that. Levy decided to bring Akari a new book with her each time she visited and loved to read it to Akari, always reminding Natsu how important it was for him to read to Akari so that her mind will develop properly. Natsu was pretty confident that Levy was also trying to make sure that Akari became a kid that enjoyed reading, which he was all for and wanted Akari to do since it was one of his biggest regrets of his childhood.

It was Gajeel that took the cake for most surprising visitor, because for the first few times that he came over he didn't even hold Akari and just played with Asuka. Who just so happened to be there whenever Gajeel came over, which Natsu instantly knew was a lie that Gajeel came up with so that he could continue to play with Asuka without the rest of the guild finding out. But after two weeks of visits Gajeel finally held Akari because Asuka pretty much forced him to hold her at least once, saying that uncle Gajeel had to be friends with Akari since she was going to be Asuka's best friend. And just like most of the regular visitors guessed, Akari was completely fine with Gajeel and was always trying to grab his piercings and giggling every time she got one because of the faces that Gajeel would make.

So Natsu got used to his new routine of taking care of Akari and making sure that she was happy and healthy throughout the day. While also having guests over pretty much every day of the week, all of them wanting to spend some time with Akari and Natsu who was now in everybody's mine a perfect father. Making a lot of the members keep apologizing to him for doubting that he would be a great dad, which Natsu was getting tired of the apologizes but had to admit that he was glad that they now believed in him.

But when Natsu woke up today he knew right away that today was going to be different than the other days. He just didn't know why yet, and that really bugged him but he pushed that to the side as he made sure that Akari was fine and started their normal routine. This consisted of making sure that her diapers were still clean then feeding her two bottles of milk which Natsu still thought was too much for a little girl like her. Then after that make sure that she was clean, if not Natsu would give her a quick bath, and then put on her clean clothes for the day and read her a story.

The last one would sometimes be done by Carla who happened to be spending the nights at their place quite often because of Akari's crib, which according to both Exceeds was the best place to sleep in the whole world. Natsu already decided that he was going to by a new crib for Akari when she finally becomes less dependent on him, which looked like it wasn't going to happen anytime soon. Today was one of the days that Happy and Carla would both go to the guild in the early morning and come back in the early afternoon to help Natsu with Akari and whoever was visiting him that day.

So when Natsu had finished reading to Akari and was trying to get her to say dady, but only got dada out of her. Natsu was surprised when Happy came back way earlier than normal saying crazy things like some girl was trying to get him and that he was going to die this time. But after Natsu figured out who Happy was so worried about he couldn't help but laugh at his little blue buddy and think that today was definitely going to be different than his usual day.

 **Earlier in the day at Fairy Tail:**

"So how are Akari and Natsu doing on this fine day?" asked Mira with a big smile on her face as she came up to Happy and Carla sitting on the counter of the bar.

"They're great like always Mira!" cheered Happy.

"What Happy means to say is that when we left Akari was asleep and Natsu was reading a book peacefully." said Carla after she took a drink of her tea.

"You seem to be spending a lot of time at Natsu's and Happy's is there something going on Carla?" asked Mira with a big smirk.

"Of course not Mira, I am just making sure that Natsu is reading to Akari every day because that's important for a young child." said Carla as she had a faint blush on her checks.

"Oh and it has nothing to do with sleeping with Happy in Akari's crib?" asked Mira still smirking.

"I don't do that." denied Carla as she looked away.

"Yea you do Carla, you've done that the last three nights." said Happy with a big grin.

"Quite Happy, no one needs to know that." said Carla as she glared at Happy who just continued to smile back at her.

"What does Wendy think about you always being over there?" asked Mira.

"Wendy is fine with it and she is almost over there as much as me." replied Carla who was no longer blushing.

"Yea, everyone's been visiting us." cheered Happy who was very pleased with everything that had been happening lately.

"I know, and who wouldn't want to see little Akari?" asked Mira with a big smile.

"I can't wait until Akari starts talking." said Cana as she joined the conversation with a big grin.

"Natsu has actually been trying to get her to say daddy for the last few days." stated Carla with a smile.

"I thought that Natsu kept saying that word more than he normally would when I was over there yesterday." said Cana who also was smiling just from thinking back on her time with the two yesterday.

"Wait you were there yesterday?" asked Mira as she glared at Cana.

"Yes Mira, is there something wrong with me being there yesterday?" asked Cana as she glared back at Mira.

"No I guess not." mumbled Mira since there wasn't anything wrong except that she was jealous that Cana could visit any time that she wanted to.

"Good because I am also going to Natsu's place tomorrow." said Cana with a grin.

"You can't Cana, that's when I am going to visit Akari." said Mira as she glared at Cana.

"Then we'll both see her then Mira, because you have no right to tell me if I can see Akari or not. That is completely up to Natsu and he's already told me that I can come over whenever I want." replied Cana with a bigger grin.

"That's nothing special Cana, Natsu's said that to everyone in the guild." refuted Mira with her own grin.

"That's not true Mira." said a frowning Lucy with Erza standing next to her who had a small frown.

"Oh sorry you two, I didn't see you there and don't worry I am sure that Natsu has probably forgiven you two already." said Mira as she tried to give them a comforting smile.

"Back to what we were talking about Mira, did Natsu tell you that you could literally come over at any time of the day you want?" asked Cana with a bigger grin than before.

"Y-yes he did." stuttered Mira who was surprised to learn this.

"You're such a bad liar Mira, and Mira's right you two, Natsu would probably pretend that none of that stuff happened. He's actually getting sick of everyone apologizing to him, so if you do go and see Akari and Natsu I suggest that you make your apology short and sweet." said Cana proudly grinning about her victory over Mira.

"I think that I am going to wait for Natsu to come to the guild, let him determine when he's okay with seeing me." said Erza still having her small frown.

"I am going to be doing that too, but I really wish that he would come here soon." said Lucy who was actually having a hard time coming up with her rent without Natsu going on those jobs where it was just the two of them and Happy.

"Natsu is going to have to come here soon, because I don't know how much longer I can keep Jason at bay." said Master Makarov with a beer mug in hand while sitting next to Happy on the counter.

"Wait, what does Jason want with Natsu?" asked Lucy.

"Jason want's to confirm some rumors that have been going around about Natsu having a kid, while also seeing why he hasn't been causing as much damage as he usually does. I mean it's pretty obvious that something is going on when someone like Natsu all of a sudden stops destroying things. Jason is also hoping to get the very first interview with the Salamander since Natsu has never done one before." explained Master Makarov with a frown.

"I never thought about that." stated Erza with a grin, thinking about how the public is probably pretty curious with what happened to Fiore's most destructive mage. That would usually destroy something important at least once a week if not more, always having articles written about what he destroyed last week and sometimes even guessing what he might destroy next.

"Why haven't you just told Jason about Akari, Master?" asked Lucy.

"Multiple reasons Lucy; first off it's not my right to tell Jason about something so personal to Natsu. Also this could cause Natsu and Akari to be in tons of danger, which I think Natsu knows and is why he is staying in his house as much as possible." answered Master Makarov.

"Natsu and Akari would be in danger just form letting Fiore know about her?" asked Lucy who could only think about all of Natsu's friends in other guilds wanting to come and see her.

"You're forgetting about all of the enemies that Natsu made over the years Lucy, and right now would be the best time for them to attack him. Natsu will most likely be distracted because of Akari and therefor easier to get the drop on then he ever was before. Also there are some sick people out there that would love to either kidnap Akari or even kill her to get back at Natsu." said Master Makarov causing most of the girls to gasp and then get very angry that something like that could happen.

"We should start having someone always keeping watch at Natsu's place." suggested Erza who never even thought about this happening.

"I think we should have someone always with the two of them just to be safe as well." said Mira wanting to make sure that Akari was safe.

"Settle down guys, the rest of the world doesn't even know about Akari yet. Besides Natsu is never going to let anything happen to her at all." said Cana.

"What, how can you say that Cana after what you just heard the Master say?" asked Lucy.

"Because first of all Master is completely wrong about Natsu getting surprised while he's with Akari. Actually it's the exact opposite if you ask me; he's always smelling the air and listening for absolutely anything that might be off. Natsu's been able to tell when someone is heading from Magnolia to his house as soon as they step outside of the town. Also I know that Erza knows that nothing will stop Natsu from protecting Akari and anyone who tries to do anything to her will come to regret it for the rest of their lives if they are even allowed to live that is." explained Cana as they all turned to Erza for conformation on what Cana just said.

"I don't know about that first part, but she's telling the truth on the second one. I wouldn't ever want to be at the receiving end of his wrath for trying to take Akari again, because I am sure that he wouldn't hold himself back this time." said Erza as she shuddered at the thought.

"That may be true but it would be hard for Natsu to fight with Akari in one arm." pointed out Mira.

"True, which is why I want Natsu to come to the guild as soon as he can, so we can discuss these things and figure out what's the best course of action to take." said Master Makarov.

"I'll tell Natsu that you want to meet with him Master." cheered Happy.

"Don't worry Master, I'll also tell Natsu just in case Happy forgets." said Carla with a smile.

"Oh, plan to spend another night with Happy." teased Mira while having a huge grin on her face.

"No Mira, I just want to make sure that Natsu knows." replied Carla with a faint blush.

"Thanks you two, Jason is planning on stopping by in two days from now so it would be great if Natsu could stop in before that." said Master Makarov with a big smile.

"Aye Sir." cheered Happy as he saluted Master Makarov causing a few of them to chuckle.

"Oh yea, aren't some of your friends stopping by today Erza?" asked Master Makarov.

"Yes Master and they should actually be here any minute now." replied Erza with a big smile.

"So who's brave enough to visit Fairy Tail?" asked Cana in a joking manner.

"Millianna and Kagura of course, and they both have been here before." said Erza still excited about them coming to visit her.

"Millianna's coming?" asked Carla with a look of dread on her face.

"Yep and she's really excited to meet all of guys." said Erza as she looked at Carla and Happy who wasn't paying attention because he was happily eating a big fish right now.

"Hi everyone." said Wendy as she came into the guild.

"Wendy, let's do this job right now." said Carla who somehow grabbed a flyer and was right in front Wendy as soon as she finished talking.

"But I just got here Carla." replied Wendy with a small frown.

"We'll do the next three jobs you want no matter what if you go on this one with me right now." said Carla quickly as she looked out the door for Millianna.

"Okay Carla, you've got yourself a deal." replied Wendy with a big smile.

"Bye everyone." said Carla as she grabbed Wendy and took off with the girl who waved bye to the people she just said hi to. Carla now understood why Lily spent the last two days getting Gajeel to agree to train with him for three days, she looked back and felt sorry for not warning Happy but she couldn't risk wasting any more time there.

"Did she register that job?" asked Master Makarov with a big grin.

"Yep and I don't think I have ever seen Carla so excited for a job." answered Mira with a big grin.

"Hey where did Carla go?" asked Happy since he just finished his fish.

"Carla and Wendy just left for a job." answered Mira.

"And they didn't ask me, okay just means more fish for me." said Happy as he pulled out another fish and started to eat it looking as happy as humanly possible.

"Millianna is going to be so sad that Lily's training and Carla is out on a job, those two seem to always be absent whenever Millianna visits. But it doesn't matter since her favorite cat is always here, isn't that right Happy?" said Erza causing a few members to wonder if she really didn't know why the Exceeds were always gone when Millianna visited. Well that is all expect for Happy who never seemed to pay attention until it was too late and Millianna was already hugging him.

"Aye Sir!" cheered Happy who like always didn't pay attention when he's eating fish.

"Are we going to tell Kagura and Millianna about what's going on with Natsu?" asked Lucy.

"What's going on with Natsu?" asked Kagura who was in the doorway.

"ERZA!" screamed Millianna as she hugged Erza as hard as possible.

"Hi Millianna." replied Erza as she hugged her back.

"Millianna." said Happy as his fish fell out of his mouth while he had his back to them. Happy's face turned to one of complete fear as he quickly looked over his shoulder to see Millianna and Erza hugging each other.

"Hi Kagura, I look forward to our duel." said Erza as she and Millianna separated from each other.

"Where's Natsu and Happy?" asked Millianna who usually found the duo by Natsu's pink hair.

"And you still haven't told us what's going on with Natsu." stated Kagura with a smile since she was glad to be visiting Erza.

"Natsu's not here right now but Happy's at the bar Millianna." said Erza as she was about to come up with an excuse as to why Natsu wasn't here but Happy interrupted her.

"What's that Natsu you need my help right now, okay I'll be there in a second. Well sorry guys but I have to go help Natsu." said Happy nervously almost at the level of shouting as he then took off and flew out of a window just barely dodging Millianna who almost grabbed him.

"Happy, let me help so we can be together for the rest of the day!" shouted Millianna as she jumped out the window after Happy.

"She really doesn't know the meaning of toning it down does she?" asked Cana with a big smile.

"Millianna just gets really excited about cats, especially when they are Exceeds. But she doesn't seem to understand that they don't want to be hugged all of the time, so what was going on with Natsu." replied Kagura with a grin as she waited for an answer.

"Don't you think we should go after those two?" asked Erza not wanting to talk about Natsu right now.

"Sure, but once we catch them we're going to talk about whatever you're trying to keep from me concerning Natsu." said Kagura as she then turned around and left the guild to go after Millianna and Happy.

"Those two are really similar aren't they." stated Cana as everyone nodded in agreement while grinning at the thought of poor Happy getting hugged to death by Millianna.

 **At Natsu's place just after Happy's dramatic no:**

"Happy you know that she would never kill you, she just loves you a little too much." said Natsu with a big grin on his face.

"I know Natsu, but she won't let me go as soon as she gives me a hug." said Happy as he stood back up.

"Maybe this time you'll get her to understand that you don't want to be hugged by her the whole time that's she her." said Natsu as he played with Akari's little tummy causing her to giggle.

"But I never get to tell her that Natsu." said Happy as he hopped up on the couch.

"Yea because she always distracts you with fish every time you try and tell her." replied Natsu as he started to laugh remembering that every time Happy tried to tell Millianna that, it always ended with him happily eating a fish while Millianna hugged him. Natsu didn't know how Millianna knew when to give Happy a fish, but somehow she always did right when he was going to ask to be let go of.

"Couldn't you go all protective dragon on her like you did when Erza tried to take Akari?" asked Happy with hopeful eyes.

"Sorry little buddy, but I only do that when someone is trying to hurt someone I care about or take them from me and Millianna would never hurt you." replied Natsu with a smirk.

"But it's like torture to me Natsu." said Happy with pleading eyes now.

"You definitely fooled me Happy, because you always looked like you were enjoying those fish Millianna kept giving you." pointed out Natsu causing Happy to stop and think for a bit.

"Well that's because fish are the best thing ever Natsu." cheered Happy.

"If that's the case then I don't see the problem here Happy, because Millianna gives you more fish than everyone but me." stated Natsu with a smile.

"Hmm, fish or no fish?" asked Happy as the paced back and forth on the couch.

"I am pretty sure I know what your answer is going to be, and it's going to be fish isn't that right Akari." said Natsu as he smiled at his daughter who was happily sucking on his scarf.

"Then fish it is." declared Happy as their door flew open as Millianna burst in.

"Happy why did you keep flying away from me?" asked Millianna with a frown and looked like she was about to cry.

"Because I had to help Natsu, and I wanted you to see my sister Akari." said Happy with a big smile as he pointed at Akari but was surprised to be swept up in a hug by Millianna.

"Good I thought that you might not like me anymore Happy." said Millianna as she hugged Happy for all he's worth.

"Of course I like you Millianna you give me delicious fish." replied Happy with a smile.

"Oh yea I almost forgot, I got this for you Happy." said Millianna as she set a whole salmon on the coffee table causing Happy to start drooling and his eyes to sparkle. Natsu who was just watching this with a big smile still didn't know where either of them pulled out these fish from, which seemed to almost be an endless supply and he started to consider that the two of them made their own fish magic that only they could use. Not that anyone else would ever want to use such a unique and very specific magic like that and had no combat abilities.

"Can I eat it now?" asked Happy as he looked up at Millianna.

"Sure Happy go right ahead." replied Millianna while not letting him go.

"You're going to have to let go of Happy then." said Natsu who decided to help Happy out.

"Oh sorry about that Happy, I just love holding you so much." replied Millianna with a big smile as she set Happy down.

"It's okay Millianna, I like it when you hold me too but sometimes I need to stretch." said Happy as he started to eat the salmon right there on the coffee table.

"You do Happy?" asked Millianna and only got a nod from the cat but was completely surprised when she felt something small grab her tail.

"Sorry about that Millianna, Akari here loves to hold onto Happy's tail so she just grabbed yours thinking it was Happy's." said Natsu as he got Akari to let go of Millianna's tail causing Akari to start pouting.

"You have a kid Natsu!" yelled Millianna in complete shock as she jumped back.

"Sure do Millianna, her names Akari Joy Dragneel and I can already tell that she likes you." said Natsu as he smiled down at Akari who was trying to grab Millianna's tail which was nowhere near her, like she always did with Happy and Carla.

"When did you, I mean how did you, why did you." said Millianna not being able to say what she wanted to say at all.

"HAHAHAHA I assumed that some people would react that way. So do you want to hold her Millianna?" asked Natsu with a big grin as he saw her eyes light up.

"Can I Natsu?" asked Millianna hesitantly.

"Of course you can Millianna otherwise I wouldn't have offered, but I am probably going to need to let Akari hold my finger while you hold her." said Natsu with a grin as he passed Akari over who was trying to now grab Millianna's ears.

"Why would you have to do that?" asked Millianna as she gently received Akari who was holding onto Natsu's finger while her other hand was reaching for her ears.

"Akari seems to be extremely clingy for some reason." replied Natsu with a caring smile.

"On I see, so who's her mother?" asked Millianna as she started to look around expecting an woman to come out and introduce herself.

"I'll tell you all about that when Kagura gets here." replied Natsu with a grin.

"How did you know Kagura was here?" asked Millianna as she took her eyes off of Akari and looked at Natsu who had the happiest smiles she'd ever seen him have as he looked down at Akari in her arms.

"That would be because of my nose Millianna, and also the fact that you and Kagura always visit Fairy Tail together. Why don't you come and take a seat on the couch rather than just standing around." suggested Natsu, which Millianna quickly did since it would allow her to actually be able to play with Akari without having the fear of dropping her.

"She's so cute Natsu, even cuter than Happy." said Millianna with a huge smile.

"That she is Millianna." replied Natsu with a grin as he watched Akari continue to try and grab Millianna's ears.

"Hey I'm right here you two." said Happy with a somewhat said face.

"Sorry buddy but it's the truth, and you know it has to be if Millianna is even saying it." said Natsu with a bigger grin.

"Good point Natsu and I'm okay with that as long as Akari doesn't take any of my fish because of it." said Happy with a smile and gave Akari a little glare that was adorable since there was absolutely no malice coming from Happy.

"Hey Happy, could you go out there and tell Erza that she can come visit Akari too if she wants to." said Natsu while not taking his eyes of Akari who was having fun with Millianna more than she does with most people that he has stay by her when they hold her.

"Aye Sir!" shouted Happy and flew off while carrying the salmon afraid that this might have just been a ruse to get his fish.

 **Moments earlier with Kagura and Erza:**

"What do you mean you can't go any farther Erza?" asked Kagura as Erza stopped all of a sudden in the woods saying that she was going to go back to the guild.

"It's because of where Millianna chased Happy to Kagura." replied Erza with a frown.

"And what place on earth could make you turn away from it Erza?" asked Kagura who was getting more confused and couldn't come up with a logical explanation for any of this.

"That would be Natsu's place." answered Erza as she turned away from Kagura and started to walk away.

"Hey wait a minute Erza, that doesn't make sense at all. Isn't Natsu one of your closest friends and a part of your team, so why would you be afraid of going to his place?" asked Kagura with a small frown.

"Those things are true Kagura, actually I honestly don't know if both of those things are still true." replied Erza as she stopped walking and was clenching her fists tightly.

"What in the world happened that would make you even think that Erza, Natsu would never just quit being someone's friend?" asked Kagura as she walked around Erza so she could look into her eyes, and was shocked to see that Erza was crying.

"I messed up big Kagura, that's what happened and I wouldn't blame Natsu if he didn't want to be my friend after what I tried to do." said Erza as she quietly cried to herself but was brought into a hug by Kagura.

"Shh Erza, it's okay I am positive that Natsu wouldn't do that. I mean he's the most forgiving and nicest person that I've ever met." said Kagura trying to calm Erza down.

"You don't even know what I did Kagura." said Erza in an angry tone.

"That's because you won't tell me Erza, but I am still confident that Natsu wouldn't just give up on his friendship with you because of it." replied Kagura with a small reassuring smile.

"We'll see if you are still thinking that after I tell you what's been going on." replied Erza with a frown as she then told Kagura everything that happened recently between her and Natsu.

"Wow just wow." said Kagura with a surprised face that most of her guild members wouldn't believe that she could make since she usually had an expressionless face.

"See Kagura, now you can understand why I am thinking those things. Besides I deserve it after what I did to him and definitely for what I tried to do." said Erza as she kept feeling really bad about her first reactions to Akari being Natsu's daughter.

"Sorry Erza I was still just shocked about Natsu having a kid now, and I still think that Natsu will forgive you Erza and remain your friend." replied Kagura after she snapped out of her shock.

"How can you still think that after hearing that I tried to take his daughter away from him?" asked Erza who was shocked by Kagura still thinking that Natsu would be her friend.

"Because Natsu knows you Erza, and that means that he knows you were just trying to do what you thought was right. And that your main concern was the little girl, even though you went about it the wrong way but I would have thought the same things as you Erza. Meaning that we would have both been wrong apparently, but like I said earlier Natsu has been able to forgive people who've done much worse to him than just trying to take his daughter from him." answered Kagura with a small smile.

"I don't know about that Kagura, I really don't think there's anything worse to Natsu right now then messing with his daughter." stated Erza with a frown.

"You're probably right Erza, but you didn't complete your goal so nothing bad happened. Also you're Natsu's friend and that still counts for something, you even said it yourself Erza that he didn't attack you the last time you came to his place. So Natsu's probably only mad at you right now if anything and if that's the case then you can try and fix that right now." pointed out Kagura with a grin.

"She's right Erza." said Happy who was sitting in a tree to the side of them.

"Happy, how long have you been there and where's Millianna?" asked a startled Erza who knew that Millianna would usually be hugging Happy right now and not letting go.

"Since you explained to Kagura what's been going on, and she's with Natsu." replied Happy with a smile.

"That's been a long time Happy, why didn't you speak up sooner?" asked Kagura with a smile.

"Because I was eating the salmon that Millianna gave me, also you were doing a good job Kagura." answered Happy with a bigger smile than before.

"Thanks Happy, but I am still surprised that Millianna isn't hugging you right now." stated Kagura still smiling at the blue Exceed.

"Oh that's because Millianna found something that she thinks is cuter than me." said Happy as he made quotation marks in the air when he said cuter.

"Is it true Happy?" asked Erza still having a sad facial expression.

"I don't think Akari's cuter than me, even though she is really cute but come on look at me." replied Happy as he did the puppy dog look and was indeed extremely cute looking.

"Happy I wasn't talking about that, I was asking if what Kagura said right before you spoke up was true?" asked Erza.

"Oh sorry Erza, and yea she is." answered Happy with a big grin.

"So Natsu is still mad at me." said Erza as she now looked sadder.

"I didn't mean that part Erza even though it still might be true, I was talking about everything else Kagura said." said Happy as quick as he could so Erza wouldn't keep beating herself up.

"So he's definitely still mad at me." stated Erza since Happy still thought that it was a possibility.

"Well if it's true Erza then Natsu wants to change that since he had me come here to tell you that you're welcome to visit Akari if you want to that is." said Happy as he flew down from the tree and floated next to the two women.

"See Erza, what did I tell you. So let's go see this Akari, because I still find it hard to believe that Natsu of all people is a father." said Kagura with a grin.

"I don't know Kagura." said Erza as she looked away from her.

"Come on Erza, I know you want to see Akari too so let's go do that right now." said Kagura as she grabbed Erza's hand and then headed to Natsu's place with Erza in tow. As they got close they could hear Natsu and Millianna laughing together and the little laughter of Akari could just barely be heard over the other two's laughter.

"Come on Akari you can do it, prove your daddy wrong and say Millianna." said Millianna as she smiled down at Akari in her arms who responded with babbles and other baby gibberish.

"I already told you Millianna, there's no way Akari is going to be able to say your name when she can't even say daddy and only seems to say dada. Isn't that right daddy's little dragon?" asked Natsu as he smiled down at Akari.

"Dada." said Akari with a big smile as she looked up at Natsu whose smile only grew when she said that.

"That's my little girl." said Natsu as he tickled Akari causing her to start laughing.

"I don't know Natsu, I think she'll be able to do it." pouted Millianna who really wanted to hear her name said by Akari.

"Maybe in a few months Millianna, and you two can make yourself at home. Rather than just standing there in the doorway, oh and hi Kagura and Erza." said Natsu as he didn't even look up at them since he was too busy playing with Akari.

"Thanks Natsu and sorry Happy they are right, she's definitely cuter than you." said Kagura who sat on the other side of Natsu so she was closer to Akari.

"For now maybe, but soon she'll become like the rest of you making me the cutest thing in the world once again." declared Happy as he raised a fish into the air as if it was a sword causing everyone there to chuckle.

"Are you sure that it's okay Natsu?" asked Erza hesitantly.

"Of course Erza, when have I ever said something that I didn't mean." replied Natsu as he took Akari from Millianna because it was time to feed her.

"Okay as long as you're sure Natsu." said Erza as she sat in one of the chairs with a small smile.

"I am positive Erza, and I would have talked with you and the rest of the team earlier. But I have been pretty busy with Akari and everyone else visiting all of the time." said Natsu as he prepared the bottle as if it the most natural thing to do for him.

"Do you need any help Natsu?" asked Millianna who still wanted to be holding Akari.

"Nope, and I was going to ask you three if you wanted something to eat or drink?" asked Natsu with a grin.

"What about me Natsu?" asked Happy.

"You live here Happy and you can get whatever you want for yourself." replied Natsu still grinning.

"Oh yea, I forgot." replied Happy with a big smile.

"I think we're all fine Natsu." answered Kagura as she made sure that they all were.

"Okay but if you need anything don't hesitate to ask. Like I said before I have been having guests over pretty much every day since I got Akari, and I am getting good at being a proper host." said Natsu as he came back with Akari drinking from a bottle and another one tucked under his left arm.

"Ahh rats, I really wanted to feed Akari." pouted Millianna as Natsu sat down in between her and Kagura.

"Here you go then Millianna, she's got an appetite like me so I have to do this all the time." stated Natsu as he somehow gracefully handed Akari to Millianna while still letting Akari drink her bottle.

"I would have never guessed that you adopted Akari." stated Kagura as she looked at Akari and her hair that matched Natsu's exactly.

"So I take it that Erza told you everything?" asked Natsu.

"Sorry Natsu I didn't think about letting you tell them.

"It's okay Erza, it just means I don't have to lie to them about Akari." replied Natsu with a grin.

"Wait Akari's adopted and you were going to lie to us Natsu?" asked Millianna in disbelief.

"Yes she was Millianna, and I was only going to say that she was actually my biological daughter." replied Natsu.

"What were you going to say about her mother?" asked Kagura who wanted to know what Natsu was going to say.

"That she just recently died but before she did she told me about Akari here. So I went and got her and we spent the last moments together as a family, which actually kind of happened in a way." replied Natsu with a sad smile.

"What about the rest of her family Natsu?" asked Millianna with a frown.

"They're dead too, and I would have told you two that I don't want to talk about her mother because it was too painful for me. And as for talking about the rest of her mother's family I would have said that she didn't have much and those that she did have want to be left in peace so they can properly grieve over their loss." said Natsu as if all of it was true, which shocked the girls present since they all knew Natsu couldn't lie.

"Since when could you tell a lie Natsu?" asked Erza.

"I still can't Erza." replied Natsu with a grin.

"But you just did Natsu and it sounded true." stated Kagura.

"No I didn't because those things I just said are all true in a way, also if you guys wanted more info I would have talked about the little things that I knew about her mother." said Natsu still having that sad smile on his face that was only gone when he grinned for a bit.

"Like what?" asked Kagura.

"Like Akari getting her beauty from her mother who had eyes just like her and that the only thing she got from me was her hair and appetite. I also would have talked about how kind and caring her mother was who would have done anything to protect Akari." said Natsu as he looked at Akari who was almost done with the bottle.

"What would you have said about not knowing about Akari until recently?" asked Kagura.

"I would have said that her mother and I kept our relationship a secret since I am always in the news and over a year ago Akari's mother ended it, before I knew that she was pregnant, not wanting to force me to become a dad. Which I still think is stupid but hey what's done is done and she reached out to me when she learned that she was dying, knowing that I would do anything for my daughter." answered Natsu with no hesitation or pause to think of a good lie making it really believable.

"Well that's a lie." stated Erza.

"Just the part about me having a secret relationship and her leaving me, otherwise it was all true." stated Natsu as he got ready to give Akari the second bottle but had a different idea.

"Hey would either of you want to feed Akari her second bottle?" asked Natsu with a smile as he looked at Erza and Kagura.

"I don't know." they both said at the same time causing Natsu to chuckle.

"It was just an offer I am sure that Millianna would love to feed her another one." said Natsu as Millianna nodded her head happily as Akari was trying to grab the new bottle from Natsu's hand.

"I guess it could be fun." said Kagura with a small smile.

"Well here you go then Kagura." said Natsu as he gave the new bottle to Akari and then quickly passed her off to Kagura after taking her from Millianna.

"Ahh rats, I was hoping that neither of you two accepted Natsu's offer." pouted Millianna who couldn't keep that expression since Akari looked so adorable being fed by Kagura.

"It's okay Millianna, you'll be able to hold her again." said Happy as he sat down on her lap and patted her leg in a reassuring manner while also starting to eat a fish.

"Thanks Happy, you're the best Exceed ever." said Millianna as she gave him a quick hug and then started to pet him while smiling.

"Aye Sir!" cheered Happy as he definitely enjoyed this way more than being trapped by Millianna in a hug for the whole day.

"She's so small." stated Kagura with a big smile on her face that wouldn't go away.

"Akari is only roughly six months old." stated Natsu as he leaned back and put both of his hands behind his head and closed his eyes.

"So Kagura is just like Cana, never would have guessed that." stated Happy with a smile as Millianna gave him another fish.

"What in the world do you mean by that?" asked Kagura not liking the sound of being the same as the drunk of Fairy Tail.

"Happy only means that for some reason Akari is okay with you holding her without me still touching her. And before you ask, we have no idea why Akari picks the people that she does. We at first thought that it might be because of the person's magic, since she's actually okay with all of the dragons slayers but that doesn't explain why she's okay with you and Cana." explained Natsu.

"What about Asuka?" asked Happy.

"I already told you that I am pretty sure that she thinks Asuka is her sister that saved her that day." said Natsu with a sad smile.

"Akari's fine with all of the dragon slayers?" asked Millianna with a shocked expression.

"Yep." replied Natsu now going back to his grin.

"Even Gajeel and Laxus?" asked Erza who found it even harder to believe than the other two women.

"Yea she really likes all of them, oh and you wouldn't believe the smile Laxus had while holding her the first time. But of course he had to try and hide it so that he wouldn't ruin his reputation as a tough guy." said Natsu as he chuckled at the memory.

"That sounds like something that Gajeel would do as well." stated Kagura who now had a proud smile on her face that was sure to stay there for the rest of the visit.

"You'd think so but Gajeel doesn't even try to hide it at all." stated Natsu with a grin.

"I don't believe that at all Natsu." said Erza as she started to think that Natsu might have learned to lie like most people.

"Can you guys keep a secret, oh and along with not telling anyone else about Akari?" asked Natsu with a serious expression.

"Yes to the secret, but why keep you having Akari a secret?" asked Millianna.

"Because some people might try and do something to her to get at me." replied Natsu.

"That's what Master said Natsu and he wants to talk to you about what you want to do since Jason keeps coming by Fairy Tail trying to figure out what happened to you." said Erza.

"Oh yea I was supposed to tell you that Natsu." said Happy with a big smile.

"I was hoping that I could last a little longer before people started to notice my absence." stated Natsu with a frown.

"Sorry Natsu but when someone like you stops doing jobs it is noticed." said Kagura while she continued to feed Akari.

"Yea I know that, but I was just hoping that it would take longer. So back to what we were talking about before, do you guys agree?" asked Natsu as the other three nodded their heads.

"Okay and I know that this is going to sound like a lie but it isn't so when Asuka first visited Akari with her parents and Wendy. A few other people dropped by and one of them was Gajeel, but before Akari would let any of them in they had to agree to play with her and with a little bit of help form me Gajeel agreed. And the two of them played with each other for the rest of the day and Gajeel continues to come here and play with Asuka. So pretty much this has become their secret hideout where Gajeel doesn't even try to be the big tough guy anymore since Asuka got him to open up to her." said Natsu with a huge grin.

"Really, Gajeel?" asked Millianna.

"Yep and if you don't believe me you'll have to swing by more often since those guys are here almost every other day." replied Natsu with a big grin.

"I can actually see that, it's almost impossible to turn down Asuka." stated Erza with a smile.

"So what are you going to do about Jason, Natsu?" asked Kagura as Akari finished the bottle and was starting to look sleepy.

"I guess I might as well let Fiore know about Akari since it seems like it's going to happen even though I don't want it to. But this way I can also give a warning to anyone dumb enough to even think about going after Akari." said Natsu with a scowl just form thinking about people possibly trying to go after his daughter.

"And what would that warning be Natsu?" asked Millianna as she continued to pet Happy.

"That the easiest any of them are going to get off for just looking at her in the wrong way, will be losing a few limbs." replied Natsu with a growl.

"You can't be serious?" asked Millianna.

"I am absolutely serious Millianna, and it will only get worse for them if they do much more." replied Natsu with a deep growl that caused the women there to know how serious he was about that.

"Natsu we were actually thinking that it might be a good idea for someone from the guild to be with you two at all times once this gets out. Since as you know you've made a lot of enemies since you like to take those kinds of jobs." stated Erza hoping that he would be okay with that.

"That is pretty much already happening now with usually more than just one person, but I would definitely appreciate it. Actually it would probably be a good idea if the people doing that were the ones that Akari are comfortable with." said Natsu with a grin.

"But that's only like four members Natsu and why would you want them to be the ones with you?" asked Erza knowing that Mira wasn't going to like that while Cana on the other hand was going to love it, if for nothing else than to rub it in Mira's face.

"So that I can be the one to defend Akari, and make sure that anyone who was dumb enough to try and take from a dragon never makes that mistake again." said Natsu as the heat started to rise.

"I really hope no one is dumb enough to do that." said Kagura quietly since Akari was drifting in and out of sleep.

"You don't have to talk any quieter Kagura if she's going to sleep, Akari actually likes to be read to while going to sleep." said Natsu with a big smile.

"Would it be okay if I did that with her Natsu?" asked Kagura with a big smile.

"Of course Kagura, here are some of the ones that I usually read to her." said Natsu as he set a stack of ten books on the coffee table in front of them. Kagura started to look through them with her one hand and picked out the one titled The Lost Dragon and started to read it to Akari as everyone else just sat back and listened to her. After Kagura finished the book Akari was happily asleep sucking on Natsu's scarf that was never even around Natsu's neck anymore and was pretty much Akari's security blanket.

"That was a really good story, and it was a lot like your life Natsu." said Erza with a faint smile.

"Happy said the same thing when he heard me reading it to Akari, so I guess you guys are probably right." replied Natsu with a big smile.

"Aye Sir!" shouted Happy.

"Natsu I just noticed that Akari has your scarf." pointed out Kagura.

"Yea she really loves it, and I am hoping that it will protect her and bring her as much luck as it always brought me." said Natsu still smiling.

"But wasn't that your only gift from Igneel?" asked Millianna.

"Nope, Igneel taught me my Magic which is something that no one can ever take from me. Besides Akari needs it more than me and I will do anything for her." said Natsu with a loving smile on his face as he looked at Akari sleeping blissfully in Kagura's arms.

"You're going to be a great father Natsu." said Kagura as she couldn't stop smiling as she held Akari.

"Thanks Kagura and that's what I am going to keep striving for, and trying to be for the rest of my life." said Natsu with a big grin.

"And you'll definitely do that Natsu, just make sure that you stick around for her." said Kagura with a sad smile as she tried to remember her parents but couldn't remember what they looked like since it was so long ago.

"I am not going to ever leave her Kagura, and that is a promise that I will always keep no matter what life throws as me." declared Natsu confidently.

"I know you will Natsu, and the rest of Fairy Tail and your friends will be there to help you if you ever need it." said Erza with a grin, glad that Natsu seemed to have completely forgiven her.

"Thanks Erza, and I know which is why I love Fairy Tail and all of my other friends." said Natsu with a grin.

For the next two hours the four of them caught up with each other, talked about jobs that they did and all sorts of other things. The whole time little Akari was peacefully asleep in Kagura's arms, they had just gotten done discussing some of the key things needed for someone to be an S-Class mage, since Kagura and Erza both wanted to see the other two become S-Class mages in the near future.

Akari suddenly let out a little yawn, alerting everyone that she was finally awake and ready to play with them. Akari looked up and realized that it wasn't Natsu holding her and had a slightly scared face and then started to look for him. And soon as she caught sight of him her eyes lit up and she started to reach for him.

"Dada." she babbled while trying to get to him causing the girls to aww at the cute scene as Kagura handed Akari over.

"So you wanted to see your daddy again?" asked Natsu as he tickled her causing Akari to let out her little giggles.

"What am I going to do with you Akari?" asked Natsu with a big grin on his face.

"Dada!" replied Akari as she leaned into his chest with a happy smile.

"Akari's going to be a daddy's girl for sure." said Millianna with a big grin.

"She doesn't really have a choice right now." said Natsu with a grin.

"Right now, does that mean she might later on?" asked Kagura with a smirk.

"I hope to give her that option someday, because it would be great if she could have a full family unlike the rest of us. But that is something I can worry about later, right now the only thing that matters is her health and safety." answered Natsu with a sad smile as Akari started to babble nonsense which caused Natsu to have his normal grin spread across his face.

"Do you know what you just said Natsu?" asked Millianna with a slight blush.

"Of course I do Millianna, I said that I wanted to look for someone in the future that me and Akari can spend the rest of our lives with. Someone who can put up with all of my oddities and be a great mother for Akari." answered Natsu as he smiled as Akari who was still babbling and every once in a while saying dada.

"You're not doing that because of what I said earlier, are you Natsu?" asked Erza, afraid that Natsu was only thinking about this because of her.

"No Erza, I have actually thought about trying to start a relationship before I found Akari. But for some reason it just didn't seem like the right time, but now that I have Akari I think that it might be time for me to at least consider looking again." said Natsu with a grin as he was now playing with Akari with a stuffed dragon.

"Looking again you say, so who were you looking at the first time Natsu?" asked Millianna with a smile that matched Mira's when she got excited about possible couples.

"I am pretty sure I have already said too much as it is." said Natsu not even looking at Millianna and continuing to play with Akari.

"Come on Natsu I am curious, what is your type of women?" asked Erza with a grin.

"Nope I am not saying another word about this today. I shouldn't have even said anything about this in the first place." said Natsu hoping that they would let it go.

"Natsu please, we are just curious?" asked Kagura with a small smile.

"Fine, but don't go spreading any of this around." said Natsu as he made sure that they nodded their heads in agreement.

"What I want in a women is someone who's kind and caring, she also needs to be able to take care of herself if need be since we all know how tough this world can be. She also needs to be a good mother now that I have Akari which is the most important thing for me right now." said Natsu with a slightly embarrassed face.

"Natsu you just described like half of them women in the world." said Millianna in a slightly angry tone.

"No I didn't Millianna, because I have to know that they would be a good mom." refuted Natsu.

"Natsu we wanted a little more detail than what you gave us. Things such as like hair color and other things like that." said Erza with a grin.

"Honestly none of that appearance stuff really matters to me, as long as she is those other things I already said." replied Natsu.

"You're hopeless Natus." said Millianna while shaking her head.

"I am actually the same way Natsu." said Kagura with a slight blush.

"See you two, I'm not hopeless." said Natsu as he smirked at Erza and Millianna.

"I never said you were Natsu, and would it be okay if I held Akari?" asked Erza with a big grin.

"Sure Erza." said Natsu as Erza and Millianna switched spots.

But when Natsu tried to hand Akari over to Erza she grabbed on to him and buried her face into him and wouldn't let go. This caused Erza to instantly have a frown on her face seeing that Akari wanted absolutely nothing to do with her.

"Well this is a new one." said Natsu as he held onto Akari who didn't look like she wanted to leave him.

"It's because she's afraid of me." said Erza with her frown getting bigger and becoming a little more depressed.

"Well you can't really blame her Erza, the first time she saw you, you were attacking me which lead to me becoming angry. Which is something I can only assume she doesn't like, but don't worry Erza she'll get over it." said Natsu with a grin.

"How do you know that Natsu?" asked Erza still frowning.

"Because I can't let Akari be afraid of her aunt Erza." replied Natsu with a bigger grin, as he could see how happy Erza was just form hearing him say that.

"So that means I can come over again?" asked Erza.

"Of course Erza otherwise how is Akari going to learn that she has no reason to be afraid of you." answered Natsu.

"Thank you Natsu, and I am so sorry about all of that." said Erza.

"It's fine Erza and you really don't need to apologize anymore, but don't you three want to go and do whatever it is that you do when visiting Fairy Tail?" asked Natsu.

"Nope I would rather stay here with Akari and Happy." replied Millianna with a big smile.

"Not me Millianna?" asked Natsu.

"Nope you just happen to be the dad of both of them." answered Millianna with a big grin, causing Natsu and her to laugh together about it.

"I actually wouldn't mind if we just stayed here." said Kagura nervously.

"Well you heard them Natsu, looks like we're staying here, if that is okay with you that is." said Erza with a smile.

"Like I said before I have had guest here every day and now it looks like it's your turn." replied Natsu as Akari finally stopped hiding her face.

"You hear that Akari it looks like we're going to have company all day." said Natsu with a big smile as he looked at his daughter, who smiled back at him and started to babble again.

 **End of Chapter**

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I know that there wasn't too much of Kagura interacting with Natsu and Akari but I did that because she's a person in my opinion that doesn't just jump into anything without evaluating the situation completely. Also I have decided that I am going to be going through my stories and making sure that I get rid of the simple mistakes so it might take a while before I post a new chapter. Then again I will probably get tired of that and get back to writing something new so who knows what's going to happen. So as always feel free to leave me a review.**

 **Until the next Chapter**

 **Digem Out!**


	7. Return To Fairy Tail

Ch 7: Return To Fairy Tail

 **At Fairy Tail:**

"I just thought of something." said Cana to no one particular.

"And what might that be Cana?" asked Mira as she cleaned a glass while standing behind the bar.

"Haven't Erza and her friends been gone for a while now?" asked Cana with her head tilted to the side.

"They have been gone for a few hours now haven't they." replied Mira with not much concern or interest in this topic.

"Mira I think you are forgetting where they most likely ended up because they were chasing Happy." stated Cana as she waited for Mira to realize where they were at.

"Oh my, you don't think that they are actually there do you?" asked Mira now concerned about what could have happened.

"I am confident they are, because where does a scared kid go to when they need help. Their parents and Natsu is definitely the person that Happy would go to meaning that the rest are there as well." answered Cana as she took a swig from her barrel.

"But I thought that Erza was going to wait for Natsu to come back to the guild?" asked Mira.

"She planned that but I have the feeling that Mini-Erza decided otherwise and since we haven't heard the town screaming about two monsters going at it. I can only assume that it went better than any of us could have expected." replied Cana with a grin.

"Well that's good, I was concerned that they might not patch it up between the two of them." said Mira with a big smile as she then heard someone cough to get their attention.

"This is Fairy Tail, correct?" asked an elderly Lady.

"That it is, so how may I help you?" asked Mira giving the woman her warmest smile.

"Is the Salamander around, I mean is Natsu here?" asked the woman now getting most of the attention of the whole guild.

"Sorry but he's not here right now, may I ask why you need to see him?" asked Mira with a concerned look.

"Well you see I met Natsu a little over a month ago and helped him out with a few things while not even knowing that he was the famous Salamander. And just a week ago a reporter came to my store and started to ask me all sorts of questions about Natsu and what we were doing together that day." answered the woman.

"What did you say Miss?" asked Cana since she was right next to the two of them.

"You can just call me Clare and I didn't tell the reporter anything since he was asking very personal questions and I don't know if Natsu would have wanted what happened that day to be public. I was hoping that the reporter would just leave me alone if I didn't give him anything but he showed up yesterday asking the same questions as before." replied Clare with a small frown.

"Does this reporter have a name Clare?" asked Mira as she now had an angry expression on her face because she had a really good idea of who it was.

"I think his name was Jason." answered a nervous Clare thinking that Mira was mad at her.

"That bastard is now harassing other people to try and figure out what Natsu is up to since he can't get any information out of us." stated Mira as her magic flared up thinking about paying Jason a visit that he wouldn't forget the next time he thinks about harassing a normal person for a story.

"Calm down Mira, you're scaring Clare and Jason's only doing his job." said Cana even though she was thinking the same things as Mira but was planning on doing it where Jason would have no idea it was her.

"Yes, but he doesn't have to bring in other civilians into all of this." replied Mira as she got control of her magic.

"And that is why I decided to come here and see what Natsu would want me to say to him." said Clare with a faint smile since she now knew that the anger was actually directed at Jason and not her.

"Well Clare, Natsu is extremely busy as I am sure you are aware of and rarely comes here anymore." stated Master Makarov from his spot on the bar counter.

"I knew that which is why I tried to find his house in town but no one knew where Natsu lived at. So I came here in hopes that one of his guild members would know where he lived so that I could talk to him about this." said Clare as she looked around.

"I could take you Clare." volunteered Mira with a huge smile hoping that she would be able to.

"Sorry Mira but don't you have to keep working, but I am completely free and would love to take her to Natsu's place." said Cana with a smug grin as Mira's smile quickly changed to one of horror.

"Kinana can just cover for me." argued Mira who wasn't going to let Cana swoop in and take this chance away from her.

"Mira she's already working and it looks to me as if she won't be able to handle any more, so you just stay here as I go and take Clare to Natsu's." replied Cana thinking that she had won this one.

"Quiet you two, no one is going to take Clare to Natsu's place!" shouted Master Makarov so Mira and Cana would actually hear him.

"Why not?" asked Cana and Mira as they looked at their Master.

"First off we don't need more people knowing where Natsu lives even if Clare and Natsu are friends, because from what I heard I wouldn't be surprised if Jason was waiting in town for Clare to lead him to Natsu. Also I have a feeling that Natsu will be stopping by the guild today, so if Clare wants to see him she can just stay here until he shows up." answered Master Makarov as he took a long drink from his mug.

"Why would Natsu come to the guild today of all days?" asked Clare finding it odd that Natsu would happen to come to the guild the same day that she did.

"Yea Master, why would he come to the guild today?" asked Cana.

"Because as the two of you were discussing earlier, Erza went over there today and that was just after having conversation about the danger he's in and how I wanted to speak with him. And knowing Erza she's already told him that, which would mean that Natsu probably wants to get all of this over with as soon as possible so he'll come here and tell me what he wants to do." said Master Makarov.

"I didn't even think about that." stated Mira as she went back to her duties as a barmaid since no one was going to be heading to Natsu. But she kept an eye on the door waiting for two of her favorite people to show up, and when they did no one was going to stop her from being with the two of them.

"How long do you think it'll take for Natsu to show up?" asked Clare who felt out of place in the guild.

"Not too long since Erza and her friends have been there for a few hours." replied Makarov with a grin.

"Give me a second Clare and I can get you a more accurate time than that." said Cana as she pulled out her cards and set to work.

"What is she doing?" asked Clare who had never seen someone predict small parts of the future with cards.

"Cana is figuring out when Natsu will show up here today if at all, since I could be wrong about that." said Makarov with a sheepish grin.

"That's pretty handy." stated Clare as she watched Cana continue to use her cards.

"It truly is, but you have to be very specific about what you are looking for, and it also helps if you have a good idea of what is actually going to happen. With that she's able to give us more details than we otherwise would have had." explained Makarov as they both quietly stood there and watched Cana set to work. It only took Cana five minutes to get when or if Natsu was actually going to come to the guild.

"Looks like you were right Master, Natsu is going to stop by today." said Cana with a big smile spread across her face.

"So when is he exactly going to show up?" asked Mira who had been waiting this whole time for Cana to tell them.

"I would usually just taunt you with this info Mira, but since Clare is here I won't. Natsu and everyone else at his house are going to be here within the next half hour." replied Cana as she took a huge swig from here barrel.

"That isn't that much more to wait and see him." stated Clare since she was slowly getting used to the quite rowdy guild.

"Glad to hear that Clare and I am positive that Natsu will be happy to see you." said Master Makarov with a grin on his face since he hadn't seen Natsu over the last month and was excited to actually talk with the dragon slayer again.

 **At Natsu's:**

"How about we all head back to the guild?" asked Natsu shocking all of the girls at his place.

"Why do you want to go back to the guild right now all of a sudden?" asked Kagura who was really enjoying this calm atmosphere that Natsu's place had. And all of the time she got to hold Akari which she knew would be drastically smaller if they went to the guild.

"Because of what Erza said earlier about talking with Master Makarov. So I was thinking I might as well get it out of the way right now, rather than postponing it until I don't have a choice when it happens." stated Natsu as he started to get ready to leave with Akari still clutching his right arm.

"That is just like you Natsu, never sitting back when you can take control of the situation." stated Erza with a faint smile on her face.

"Is that why you always rush right in whenever you get into a fight?" asked Millianna who was holding a sleeping Happy in her arms gently.

"I guess that is one of the reasons." said Natsu as he was trying to put a blanket on Akari who wasn't too keen on that idea and kept pushing it off of her head.

"And what are the other reasons?" asked Kagura.

"I get bored easily and it is always so much fun whenever I do that." replied Natsu as he and Akari continued to fight each other over her using the blanket.

"Why did I expect anything else from you Natsu, and I am positive that Akari will be fine without that blanket Natsu. Besides you give off enough heat already that the blanket is probably over kill for her." said Erza with an actual smile on her face seeing how much Natsu actually cared for Akari.

"Fine you win Akari no blanket since you're awake this time." said Natsu as he smiled at Akari.

"Dada." said Akari with a big smile on her face causing everyone else to have huge smiles spread across their faces.

"That's right Akari, and now you and daddy are going to go and visit our big family again. And this time hopefully I won't be attacked by a close friend." said Natsu as he grinned at Erza who looked away as he said that.

"I already said I was sorry Natsu and that I was wrong." mumbled Erza.

"HAHAHA I am just messing with you Erza, which is something that I don't think I have ever been able to do before without you instantly knocking me out." said Natsu with a huge grin.

"Well I would have done that right now if you weren't holding Akari." stated Erza with a grin of her own since Natsu was indeed just messing with her about that.

"Glad to hear Erza, so let's head to Fairy Tail!" said Natsu excitedly and walked out of his house as Akari babbled along with him.

"Is he not going to lock his doors?" asked Kagura as she and Erza watched Millianna and Natsu head into the woods chatting with each other while carrying precious cargo that both of them would defend with their lives.

"Nope, I honestly don't know if he even has keys for them." stated Erza as she closed the door and followed after them.

"But isn't he afraid of getting robbed?" asked Kagura who was walking right next to Erza.

"Not really since he lives out in the middle of nowhere, also he has it labeled as his and Happy's place so you would have to be pretty stupid to steal from him." answered Erza as she followed the rest of their small group.

"I guess that makes sense." said Kagura as they finally caught up to Millianna and Natsu who were now discussing what Akari's first word should be after Daddy.

"Come on Natsu, how can you not want it to be cat or Happy?" asked Millianna with a small frown.

"Because Millianna, if she said those words or fish for that matter, I would never hear the end of it from Happy. Besides I just know that her next word is going to be dragon or fire because Akari's just like me, isn't that right daddy's little dragon." said Natsu as he tickled Akari's little tummy causing her to giggle.

"Dada." replied Akari with a big smile.

"You are so close to saying daddy Akari, but I know that you're trying and that's all that matters." said Natsu as he smiled back at his daughter.

"What about Fairy Tail, Natsu?" asked Erza with a small smile.

"Fairy Tail?" asked Natsu as he looked back at her with a confused face as they were getting into town.

"I was asking if you wouldn't mind those being her first words after daddy of course." explained Erza still smiling.

"I think that would be awesome, but I really don't think that will happen either since she doesn't hear that as much as other things. And from what I have read kids start saying things that they hear which is why no one is going to say anything bad around her. I mean even Gajeel has cleaned up his language when he's with Asuka and Akari so I really don't think that it's too much to ask of everyone else." said Natsu as they were now getting weird looks from the townspeople.

"I guess that makes sense, and don't worry Natsu I will make sure that everyone is on their best behavior." said Erza as her smile turned into a smirk that meant pain for anyone who said something not to Natsu's liking.

"Thanks Erza but you really don't need to do that." stated Natsu as he started to hear the citizens start talking about their group.

"But I want to Natsu because like you said, kids pick up what they hear and repeat it. And I will not let the guild corrupt Akari after you've done a great job of protecting her." declared Erza with a determined voice and expression signaling to Natsu that she was already going to do this no matter what he said.

"Fine Erza, but if you have to punish anyone don't do it in front of Akari since we are trying to make her warm up to you remember. And brutally beating up some idiots is not going to help so just keep that in mind otherwise who knows how long it'll take for Akari to warm up to you." said Natsu as he smiled at Akari who was sucking on his scarf like she always did.

"Duly noted Natsu, and I'll make sure that Akari doesn't see any of it." replied Erza still set on punishing anyone who said anything bad around Akari.

"Which girl do you think is the mom?" asked some random civilian.

"It could literally be any of them with how close they are all walking together." stated another person quietly.

"One thing for sure is that the kid is definitely Natsu's, just look at its hair color." said an elderly man causing Natsu to smile at how sure the man was just because of their hair color.

"Natsu!" said Millianna quite loudly in his ear.

"Oh sorry about that Millianna, what did you want?" asked Natsu with a sheepish grin since he was so focused on listening in on what the town said about them.

"Well I was saying that maybe Akari is just afraid of Erza's armor, especially her gauntlets. But now I want to know what you were doing that made you zone all of that out, so what was it?" asked Millianna as she got as close to Natsu as she could without disturbing Happy or Akari.

"I was just listening in on the town talking about us, or haven't you noticed that pretty much everyone is staring at us?" replied Natsu waiting for his companions to answer.

"Well that is normal for me since a lot of people think I look weird." stated Millianna with a smile.

"I noticed but chalked it up to you being the Salamander and thought that this was usual for you Natsu." replied Kagura.

"Not at all, pretty much everyone knows me but they don't stare at me like they are doing right now." stated Natsu as they continued on towards Fairy Tail.

"What were they saying about us Natsu?" asked Erza who remembered Natsu saying that he was listening to them.

"You know this and that." replied Natsu nervously hoping that they wouldn't want more information.

"Natsu?" asked the three women at the same time while glaring at him.

"Fine, I really need to learn when to keep my mouth shut." stated Natsu.

"Tell us now Natsu!" ordered Erza in her usual commanding voice.

"Well they are all surprised to see that I have a daughter and are saying how she looks like me and that they can definitely tell Akari's mine since she has my hair color. And they are also now wondering which one of you is her mother since they are assuming that it is one of you with how comfortable we are with each other." answered a slightly embarrassed Natsu who then turned to see how they would react to that. Natsu was surprised to see that all of them were indeed blushing just at the thought of being married to Natsu and raising Akari together with him.

"Are you guys alright?" asked Natsu as they were now at a standstill.

"Did they say anything else?" mumbled Kagura as she looked at Natsu now slightly embarrassed.

"Oh nothing much besides wondering why something like this wasn't in Sorcerer's Weekly, and why would we keep something like this a secret. Oh and a whole lot of people keep calling me a lucky b word, and of course they are now making bets on who the mom is." answered Natsu with a grin that he hoped would get the rest of them back to normal.

"Really, so who is the most common guess?" asked Millianna with a huge smile and seemed to be back to normal.

"I really don't think that is good idea Millianna." replied Natsu as he started to walk away from them and head towards the guild again.

"Hey wait up Natsu, we all want to know the answer to Millianna's question." stated Erza as she caught up to Natsu along with the other two girls.

"I know you do but I can guarantee that somehow this will get out of hand and cause me problems later on." stated Natsu as he continued on his way while checking on Akari who was happily sucking on his scarf that was wrapped loosely around her.

"What if we promise to not make a big deal about it and never speak to you about it again Natsu?" asked Kagura with a pleading look that none of them had ever seen on her face before.

"You too Kagura?" asked Natsu and all he got was her nodding her head while still giving him that look that was so foreign on her face.

"Fine, but remember that you promised that this wasn't going to come back and give me a headache. So the one that they think least likely to be Akari's mom is Erza and…" said Natsu after a long sigh but was cut off by Erza.

"Are you kidding me, I have known you way longer than these two so why on earth am I the least likely mother?" asked Erza with an extremely pissed off look on her face.

"I was just about to tell you that before you interrupted me Erza." said Natsu as he glared back at her.

"Sorry Natsu, I just can't believe that I am last." said Erza with a frown.

"See this has already started to make problems for me, and why are you sad Erza none of you are Akari's mother so there is really nothing to be upset about. As for why they don't think it's you Erza, that's because most of them have seen you beat me up and don't think that I would ever be able to date you because of being too afraid. Along with the fact that I am holding Akari and most of them know that you would be holding her and never letting her go if she's yours." explained Natsu with a small grin as he thought how ridiculous it would be for him and Erza to start dating. Not that he didn't find her attractive or anything like that he just didn't think that Erza could ever see him as anything other than that little idiot of a kid brother that she had to teach how to read and write.

"I guess that makes a little sense, especially about the not letting go of her." said Erza with a faint smile on her face as she pictured having her own family someday.

"So what about the two of us?" asked Millianna with a glint in her eyes as she smiled at Natsu waiting for his response.

"Well from what I heard it's pretty close but Kagura is actually the most common bet." said Natsu with a slight blush.

"Really, why did they think that?" asked Kagura who had a very noticeable blush and smile on her face.

"Yea Natsu, why did she beat me?" asked Millianna with now a slight frown on her face as she hugged Happy who was somehow still asleep.

"Now this is according to what I have just heard them saying while we've been walking through town. But a lot thought that it might be you since you are holding Happy and are constantly smiling, but that also seemed to go against you for other people since you seem to care about Happy more than Akari." explained Natsu with a little chuckle at the end.

"That's not true Natsu, I care about them both equally and I just know that Akari is safe when she's with you." refuted Millianna as if Natsu just accused her of not caring about Akari.

"I know Millianna, that is just what I have been hearing other people say." replied Natsu as he gave the girl a reassuring smile.

"So why am I the most likely?" Kagura asked nervously.

"One reason was that you are right next to me while we are walking around, but the main one according to the people that I have listened to was that you keep looking at Akari and can't help but smile. While you are also constantly looking out for any possible signs of danger so that you can protect her if need be." answered Natsu as he looked at her and gave her his usual grin.

"I can't help that Akari is so cute, and I won't let anything happen to her while I am around." stuttered Kagura as she looked away to only see Erza grinning at her, causing Kagura to become even more embarrassed than she was before and decided to look straight ahead.

"Well now that I have told you three what the town is thinking about us let's never speak of this again." said Natsu still having his grin on his face.

"That was the deal, so when we get to the guild can I try and hold Akari without my armor on?" asked Erza with a hopeful expression on her face.

"Of course Erza, but don't get sad if she's still a little afraid of you and doesn't want to be held by you just yet. Because as you all just saw earlier, Akari is almost as stubborn as me which means a lot since I don't change that easily." said Natsu as they were now just two blocks away from the guild.

"I won't Natsu, but it would be great if she was just afraid of my armor." said Erza with a small smile.

"We'll have to wait and see about that." said Natsu as he then all of a sudden stopped and started to sniff the air.

"What going on Natsu?" asked Kagura who thought this looked very strange and wondered what he was up to.

"I can smell two people that are usually not at Fairy Tail." stated Natsu with an expressionless face.

"Are they people we know?" asked Millianna as she tried to see if she could see them.

"You know the one that I am not really excited about being here, but the other one is someone I know and helped me out a lot when I really needed it." said Natsu with a small smile forming on his face when talking about the second person.

"Why don't you just tell us Natsu." stated Erza who never liked being left in the dark.

"See for yourself." said Natsu who pointed at a man who was sitting at a bench watching Fairy Tail intently.

"I can't tell who it is from behind, we don't have your sense of smell Natsu." said Erza not happy with his answer as they came closer to the man on the bench. But rather than saying anything Natsu continued on towards the man and stopped right behind him.

"You do know what happens when you play with fire, right Jason?" asked Natsu in a very deep and deadly calm voice as he started to increase the temperature to absurd heights, already knowing that Akari for some reason wasn't affected by it at all and in fact enjoyed it more than she probably should.

"I-i-i-I h-h-have n-no idea w-w-what y-y-y-you're talking about s-s-s-sir." stuttered the man.

"I don't really get called "Sir" that often, usually it's Salamander when I am talking with people who are messing with my friends and family. So cut the act Jason, you can transform into anything you want but I will always know it's you because of your scent. Oh and the answer to my question is that you get burnt, but the severity of the burns really depends on you." said Natsu still using his intimidating voice that even scared the three girls that were just standing back and watching this play out.

"O-okay Natsu you got me." said Jason as he started to turn around but was stopped dead in his tracks by Natsu growling at him.

"Did I say that you could turn around Jason, because right now I have stumbled upon someone who seems to be spying on my guild. And I really haven't been able to cut loose lately and would really love to do that if you tried anything funny or something that I might misinterpret as funny. So what are you doing here Jason?" asked Natsu as he lit his left fist on fire and held it close enough to Jason's left side of his face for him to feel it but not get burned.

"I just needed to get an interview with you about what's going on with you lately. Also to fact check some rumors about you that a lot of people are finding it really hard to believe." replied Jason nervously but was completely shocked to start hearing giggles that sounded like they were coming from a baby.

"HAHAHAHA did you like watching daddy make Jason almost wet himself Akari?" asked Natsu with a huge grin on his face as Akari continued to giggle and smile at him.

"What's going on?" asked Jason who was still too afraid to turn around even though Natsu no longer had his flaming hand by his face.

"Just having a little fun is all Jason, of course it was at your expense. So why don't you come with us into the guild and we'll have a little conversation, just you, me and Master Makarov of course." said Natsu as his tone once again went to the intimidating one.

"O-okay." replied Jason as he got up from the bench and took off the disguise that was pretty basic, it was only a coat with sunglasses and a hat.

"So let's go shall we." stated Natsu as he took the lead not letting Jason see Akari in the process.

"Natsu what happened to your scarf?" asked Jason as his curious nature took control and forgot that he was pretty much being captured as a spy right now.

"You are very observant Jason; it took some of the members of Fairy Tail hours to notice what you did in seconds. Oh and we'll talk about that during our little conversation with Master Makarov that's going to be loads of fun for everyone involved." replied Natsu in a cheery tone that creeped Jason out.

"Natsu why are we even bringing him?" asked Erza as she glared at Jason who didn't even notice since he was studying every single move that Natsu made.

"We talked about this earlier and knew that it was bound to happen sooner or later, so once again why not take control of the situation while I still can." replied Natsu as he stopped in front of Fairy Tail's doors.

"You really do go by that logic most of the time don't you." stated Kagura with a small grin.

"Yep and so far it's worked out for me so why would I change it now, oh and could one of you please go into the guild and give some sort of warring. Along the lines of "if something like last time happens again I won't hold back and they'll all get what they deserve even if I have a slight handicap"." said Natsu trying to not let Jason know what's going on. Even though he knew that Jason had already pieced everything together and just needed to confirm it before he published anything.

"I am on it Natsu, so you have nothing to fear." declared Millianna with a big smile as she then headed into the guild.

"I'll go with her to make sure that they take her seriously." said Kagura with a slight grin as she too went into the guild.

"Don't worry Jason I won't be going anywhere, since I need to keep an eye on you." said Erza as she put a hand on his shoulder and gripped it like a vice, causing the reporter to be in slight pain but didn't complain since it was better than receiving burns from Natsu.

"I am really surprised that you haven't shouted Cool yet." stated Natsu with his back still to Jason.

"You kind of made this extremely serious when you caught me watching your guild." replied Jason.

"Don't you mean when you harassed one of my friends until she felt the need to come and talk with me Jason." growled Natsu causing Jason to want to turn and run, but couldn't since Erza already had a good grip on him.

"That isn't what happened Natsu, I was only doing my job which was to ask her questions about you." stuttered Jason who was now regretting that he thought that he could sneak up on Natsu by using Clare.

"Seems like it to me Jason, and you know how protective I am of my friends." said Natsu still not even looking at him.

"I'm sorry Natsu and I promise that it'll never happen again." replied Jason.

"Good to hear Jason, otherwise I might have to do the same to your friends but I won't be asking questions." stated Natsu as he lifted his left fist into the air which was on fire.

"It won't Natsu, I'll only come to Fairy Tail from now on if I have questions about you." said Jason who couldn't believe that he was being threatened by Natsu right now.

"That's what you should have stuck to all along, but hey lessoned learned and you won't ever make that mistake again." said Natsu as he chuckled at the end.

"They're ready for you to come in now Natsu." said Kagura as she opened the door for him.

"Thanks Kagura, oh and Jason you can head up straight to Master Makarov's office and we'll be up there in a bit to talk with you." said Natsu as they entered the guild.

"Don't worry Natsu, I'll make sure he gets there without any problems." said Erza as she still had an iron grip on Jason's shoulder and started to guide him to the office.

"Thanks Erza, and wow I really think that this has to be the quietest the guilds been in years." stated Natsu as he looked at all of the members that were staring at him and not making a sound.

"Why is Jason here?" asked Mira who was now right in front of Natsu with Cana right beside her.

"I know you both know the reason for that." replied Natsu as he looked up at Erza leading Jason into Master's office.

"So what are you going to tell him Natsu?" asked Cana who had a concerned look on her face.

"I'll figure something out, so why does it look like everyone is afraid to talk?" asked Natsu as he looked at everyone staring at him as if he was going to explode any minute.

"Ask those two." said Mira with a big grin on her face as she nodded at Millianna and Kagura who were on both sides of Natsu.

"What did you two say when you came in here before me, I didn't want them to be too afraid to even speak?" asked Natsu with a small grin.

"We told them what you said to tell them Natsu." replied Millianna.

"While also saying that we would help you of course." stated Kagura with a little grin.

"I still don't see how that would cause most of the guild to be so afraid." said Natsu a he looked at Kagura.

"That's because Kagura said that she would actually draw her blade on them if anything upset Akari." stated Master Makarov with a small grin spread across his face while sitting on the counter next to Clare.

"That makes more sense now and I can honestly say that I don't blame them for acting this way." said Natsu while chuckling at the rest of the guild.

"I see that you sent Jason up to my office." said Master Makarov after taking a swig of his beer.

"I did so that we can discuss what's going on right now, which I am sure you have already done a lot of thinking about. Since after talking with Erza today you've had some very good points." replied Natsu with a very serious face.

"I have and I can also see that you were also thinking about this as well which is why you've been hiding out at your place for the past month." said Master Makarov as everyone else listened in on their conversation.

"Yep, because I knew that if I was out and about with Akari I would attract unwanted attention. Just like I did with our little stroll to the guild today, you should have seen the people looking at me. They were looking as if I had an extra head on my shoulders just because I was carrying Akari around without her being covered up since she's my stubborn little dragon." said Natsu as he started to tickle Akari causing her to start giggling which brought most of the guild out of their sacred state and couldn't help but smile at the two.

"Well you do have to admit Natsu that this is a big change from what you are usually doing." pointed out Makarov.

"You do have a point there Master." said Natsu not knowing that calling Makarov by that actually hurt him a little because he was focused on Akari.

"So Natsu are you going to say hi to your guest?" asked Makarov after recovering from not being called gramps by Natsu like he usually does.

"My bad Clare I seemed to have done it again didn't I." said Natsu with a big grin as he looked at her.

"And just like last time Natsu, I don't see that as a problem at all and I am really glad to see that you still care for her as much as you did when we first met." replied Clare with a fond smile on her face as she looked at Natsu and Akari and couldn't help but feel a little proud that she helped Natsu.

"Akari, I would like you to meet someone who really helped your daddy out when he really needed it, this is your Grandma Clare." said Natsu as he got right next to Clare so Akari could see her.

"Natsu, I really don't need to be reminded of my age like that." stated Clare while smiling at Akari who was asleep the whole time she was with her before.

"Oh come on Grandma Clare, you're nowhere near as old as Master Makarov over there." stated Natsu with a smug look on his face as he motioned at Makarov.

"Hey you little brat, I am not that old!" shouted Makarov and was going to continue but was silenced by the intimidating glare that he received from a few women.

"Whatever Master, so do you want to hold Akari now that she's actually awake unlike last time?" asked Natsu as he watched Clare nod her head excitedly.

"Alright Akari I am going to hand you over to your Grandma Clare so be a good girl for daddy." said Natsu as he started to pass her over.

"Dada!" said Akari happily as Natsu handed her over to Clare while still letting her hold his hand.

"She's so cute Natsu and she even has your hair." said Clare as she smiled down at Akari who seemed pretty happy right now.

"That she is Clare, now let's see if Akari will be a good little girl and be fine with her grandma Clare holding her without me still touching her." said Natsu who then pulled his hand away from her ready to put it back if needed.

"Does Akari really love her daddy Natsu that much, that she can't stand being away from him at all?" asked Clare with a big smile on her face as she looked down at Akari who seemed perfectly fine with what's going on.

"Seems to me like the answer would be no on that one Clare." said Natsu with a big grin.

"I don't know about that Natsu, I think that Akari might be just listening to her daddy about being a good girl." stated Clare as she gave him a grin.

"Maybe, maybe not honestly I hope that she's finally warming up to other people holding her." replied Natsu who couldn't help but smile at Clare so caringly held his daughter.

"Time will only tell which one of us are right about this one." responded Clare as she started to play with Akari and a toy that she apparently brought with her that was a little dragon plushy.

"Oh come on, how could Akari like Clare more than me?" asked Mira with a hurt expression on her face.

"Mira once again I really think that Akari just likes women that give off a motherly vibe." stated Cana with a smirk.

"I am so tired of you of all people saying that to me Cana, because you are not motherly in the slightest unless we're talking about a drunk mom that is." replied Mira with a glare directed at Cana.

"Well if that isn't the case then why am I the only one other than Asuka and the dragon slayers that can hold Akari without Natsu being there." refuted Cana who was a little hurt by Mira snapping at her like that and pretty much saying that she wouldn't be a good mom.

"I don't know Cana but I will figure it out." declared Mira as she glared at Cana.

"Wait only those people have been able to hold Akari without Natsu?" asked Millianna who was no longer holding Happy because he was on her head eating a fish now with a very content smile on his face.

"Yes they are, but mark my words I will figure out what is making Akari like them more." stated Mira while still glaring at Cana.

"Did you hear that Kagura you're one of the very few that Akari really likes and isn't a dragon slayer like her daddy." said Millianna happily.

"Wait are you saying that Kagura can hold Akari without Natsu as well?" asked Cana.

"Yes I can Cana." replied Kagura who was now feeling proud about that fact for some reason.

"Are they telling the truth Natsu?" asked Cana as she turned to Natsu who just smiled and nodded at her.

"Ha, see that Cana you aren't as special as you thought you were." taunted Mira with a smug grin.

"You're wrong Mira, it's just another person added to the list that Akari sees as more of a mother figure than you." responded Cana with a smirk.

"Oh I am so sick of you right now Cana." said Mira as she glared at her with a little bit of her magic flaring up and scaring Akari since she was so close to the two of them.

Akari looked like she was about to cry, but surprisingly held off for a bit. But eventually she started to while hugging Clare and trying to hide from the rest of the world by doing so. Clare tried to calm Akari down but nothing seemed to work as Akari continued to cry and getting louder and louder until she then did something that no one saw coming.

"Dada!" cried Akari loudly while looking for Natsu.

"Hey it's okay Akari, Mira wasn't mad at you she's just mad at your aunt Cana. And don't worry daddy's always going to be there for you no matter what so how about we go and read a story. Because I am pretty sure that your aunt Levy has been dying to read you one as soon as we came in here." said Natsu after quickly taking Akari back who instantly calmed down a little.

"Dada" said Akari in between her crying as she buried her face into Natsu and calmed down even more.

"That's daddy's little dragon, not letting anything keep her down. Isn't that right Akari?" asked Natsu knowing that she still didn't know what he was talking about but it really didn't matter to him. Akari started to babble back to him which only made Natsu smile down at his daughter who was now looking up to him with a smile on her chubby little face.

"So let's go read that book with aunt Levy and Grandma Clare if she wants to that is." said Natsu as he headed to a booth that Levy had already picked out for them with Gajeel sitting across.

"I would love to Natsu." replied Clare with a smile since she just watched Natsu calm down Akari as if it was nothing.

"Oh Carla you can join too." stated Natsu knowing that Carla also really enjoyed reading with Akari and rather than saying anything Carla just flew over to the booth and landed on Levy's shoulder ready to read with the group the new books that Levy bought just for Akari.

"Look at what you just did Mira." hissed Cana as she glared at Mira who looked like she was about to cry.

"I didn't mean to scare her." mumbled Mira as her head dropped and she stared at the floor.

"Mira it's okay, Akari was just startled by the amount of magic coming off of you. She did the same thing when I thought that someone was in our house a few weeks ago, but it turned out to be just Happy coming home later than what he said he would." said Natsu from the booth having heard what the two of them said to each other.

"Aye Sir!" cheered Happy from atop of Millianna's head.

"Are you sure Natsu?" asked Mira as she looked up at him hopefully.

"Positive Mira, it might also be that Akari was surprised that it wasn't my magic that she felt." replied Natsu with a reassuring grin on his face.

"Okay Natsu and I am really sorry that I scared her." said Mira with a slight frown.

"It's fine Mira, and Akari is going to have to get used to other people using magic if she will want to become a mage when she grows up. But if she doesn't then that's okay but she'll still need to get used to it since her family is full of crazy mages." replied Natsu as he then turned back to the book that Levy was already reading to Akari.

"Natsu what about Jason?" asked Master Makarov.

"Oh he'll be fine waiting for a few more minutes Master, I actually caught him watching Fairy Tail from a bench outside so this is actually a whole lot nicer for him." stated Natsu while not looking up from the book that his little group was reading.

"HAHAHA, okay Natsu but don't forget that we need to talk with him." stated Makarov while shaking his head at how much Natsu had actually changed since getting Akari, but still was somehow the same person he watched grow up right in front of him all of these years.

"I would love to go join them but it is already really crowded." stated Cana with a slight frown.

"Me too but I still don't know if Natsu has forgiven me yet." said Lucy who had a big frown on her face.

"He has Lucy and would have told you guys sooner but was really busy." said Millianna with a big smile on her face.

"Are you serious Millianna?" asked Lucy with a smile starting to grow on her face.

"She is Lucy, Natsu's has even forgiven Erza already who did way more than you did from what she told me." said Kagura as she watched Natsu holding Akari with a loving smile permanently on his face.

"That's great news and I can't wait to go and hold Akari." cheered Lucy as she hugged Millianna and Kagura quickly.

"Doesn't he look so natural with Akari." stated Mira who had a faint smile on her face and all of the women around her nodded in agreement.

"You guys will never guess what happened to us while walking here." stated Millianna as she turned around to look at the whole group.

"Millianna we said that we weren't going to talk about that." said Kagura as she started to blush.

"Yea to Natsu, but we never said that we wouldn't talk to anyone else about it." replied Millianna with a devilish grin on her face.

"Now I see why Natsu didn't want to tell us." said Kagura as she could now see how this could easily come back to Natsu and cause him problems.

"Don't be like that Kagura." said Millianna with her pouting face on.

"Okay now you two have to tell us what happened." demanded Mira as Lucy and Cana nodded in agreement along with a few other members who happened to be listening in on their conversation.

"I really don't think we should Millianna." said Kagura who was now a little nervous.

"Well I do Kagura, so while coming here people were commenting on our group and wondering who Akari's mother might be." said Millianna with a cheerful smile spread across her lips.

"Well that would be none of you." stated Cana as if that was obvious.

"Yes, but the people we passed didn't know that so they started to guess and make bets on who the mom was. And I bet that you won't be able to guess who the most common guess was." said Millianna with a small smirk now on her face.

"Well it was definitely not Erza." said Mira as Cana nodded her head in agreement with that statement.

"Why not?" asked Lucy.

"Think about it Lucy and you'll realize that it would be a real surprise if they had any sort of relationship like that going on between the two of them. Especially with how often Erza used to beat Natsu up." said Cana with a small grin.

"I guess that does make sense, so that just leaves you two, so who was it?" asked Lucy excitedly.

"That would be Kagura." said Millianna before Kagura could stop her, causing said woman to blush even more.

"It doesn't mean anything Millianna." said Kagura dismissively.

"But it does Kagura when you add in the fact that Natsu might be soon looking for someone willing to raise little Akari with him. Also you two both had the same thoughts on what you were looking for in a possible partner of the romantic kind." said Millianna with a sly grin as she watched Kagura start to blush even more and not be able to speak properly.

"Are you serious Millianna?" asked Mira who looked like she might have just gotten the best present in the world.

"Totally, I would have you ask Kagura for confirmation but it appears that I might have broken her." said Millianna with a big grin.

"I don't believe you Millianna." stated Lucy who couldn't really see Natsu dating someone.

"I am not Lucy, Natsu apparently even started to think about it earlier when he didn't have Akari, but for some reason it didn't feel right to him so he didn't pursue it any further than just looking. If you don't believe me then ask Erza because she was there too." stated Millianna defensively.

"She's not lying about this." said Erza as she walked up to the group.

"Aren't you supposed to be watching Jason while he's in the Master's office?" asked Mira.

"Master came in and said that I was free to go." answered Erza.

"So who was Natsu thinking about?" asked Cana who really wanted to know.

"He wouldn't tell us anyone specific, he didn't even tell us what type of woman he prefers. All Natsu told us was very generic things that didn't narrow anything down except for the woman has to care about Akari and be a great mother for her. While also being able to handle him and all of his oddities as he put it." replied Erza as she sat down with them.

"That really doesn't narrow it down that much now does it." stated Lucy.

"Actually it does Lucy, me and Mira are pretty much off of the list after how Akari has acted with us." stated Erza with an expressionless face.

"You're probably right on that on Erza, but if you keep going by that line of thinking then right now there are only two candidates for Natsu." said Mira with a frown that quickly turned into a grin.

"What are you talking about Mira?" asked Lucy as Kagura finally recovered from Millianna's earlier statement.

"The only two people that Natsu might look at as possible wife or girlfriend material would be Cana and Kagura because they are the only two women that are around Natsu's age that Akari has liked so much that he doesn't need him to be there the whole time." answered Mira as her matchmaking side of her personality kicked in.

"W-what d-don't be s-so silly Mira." stuttered Kagura as she once again got too embarrassed to speak anymore.

"Weren't you considering going after Natsu yourself Mira?" asked Cana who could only think of trying to deflect the attention away from her since she was already blushing.

"I still am Cana, now I just need to put in some extra work to get Akari to like me. But that doesn't mean I can't have a little fun with Natsu and you two until then." stated Mira shocking everyone except for Cana who saw that comment coming because it was Mira who was a very open person about things like this.

"Aren't you afraid that we might take him for ourselves before you get your chance?" asked Cana.

"That could happen and if it does then it was meant to happen Cana, but I am really surprised to not hear either of you two saying that it's not going to happen or you aren't interested in Natsu that way. But actually I am not that surprised when I remember why I am interested in him, Natsu has all of the things that you would want for someone that you plan to spend the rest of your life with." answered Mira with a grin spread across her face as she watched everyone else nod their heads in agreement at her last statement.

"I wouldn't mind dating Natsu because that would mean I get to spend more time with Happy and Akari." said Millianna with a big smile as she broke all of the other women out of their thoughts.

"I am pretty sure Natsu wouldn't want someone just using him to get to his kids." stated Mira after giggling at Millianna who was more focused on cats and babies than Natsu.

"You're probably right, but luckily I can be the cool aunt that visits her best friend Kagura who's more into Natsu than me." replied Millianna with a smirk as she watched Kagura once again start blushing profusely.

"I do not Millianna." denied Kagura causing the rest of the women to laugh at how embarrassed she was.

"Who's to say that Cana won't get to him first." pointed out Mira who really enjoyed that Millianna seemed to like teasing Kagura about such things as much as she did to her guild mates.

"Mira please keep quiet about such things." stated Cana as she glared at Mira.

"I am not hearing you denying that you like Natsu that way. Could it be because you do and you also know that Natsu might be the only man that Gildarts would actually approve of you dating?" asked Mira with a huge smirk.

"I am not saying anything because I am apparently the only one that seemed to remember that Natsu is a dragon slayer and probably heard everything that we've been saying." replied Cana with a smug grin as realization spread across most of the girls faces and they all became embarrassed except for Millianna who started to laugh with Cana about it.

"Shut up you two." said Lucy who was not as embarrassed as the other three.

"Fine Lucy, but it looks like Natsu is coming over here now." replied Cana with a big grin as she watched the other three panic a little.

"Hey Cana, could you watch Akari for me while I go talk with Jason?" asked Natsu with a smile as Akari looked at Cana while sucking on His scarf.

"I would love to Natsu." said Cana as she accepted Akari and instantly started to play with her.

"Natsu did you happen to be listening to us talking earlier?" asked Mira as she stared at him.

"Nope but judging by all of your expressions I can only assume that this all spawned from me telling them about what the people in the town were saying. Oh and Millianna you'll be a great aunt and are free to stop by whenever you want." said Natsu with a grin and quickly left before they could ask him any more questions.

"Does that mean he just lied to us about not listening?" asked Millianna who was confused on if he did or didn't.

"I honestly don't know any more if he can or can't lie." stated Erza as she shook her head.

"I really hope he didn't." mumbled Kagura.

"Why because you were lying about not liking him?" asked Millianna which caused Kagura to get embarrassed once again while the others giggled at Kagura acting like a normal girl.

 **End of Chapter**

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Thanks for reading and I hope that you enjoyed this installment of Dragneel's little dragon. I would also like to apologize about the long time for me to update, and I can go into all of the different reasons why it took so long for me to do so. But instead I am going to keep it simple life is what happened so moving on, the next chapter is going to start with Natsu, Makarov and Jason talking in his office and that might lead into something different happening other than a normal interview but I haven't honestly decided yet. Also if there are any talented artists out there I would love to use your art for the cover art of this story and any other of my stories out there if they actually apply to story. So as always feel free to leave a review or any other suggestions that you might have about this story because I love hearing back from you guys. And I will of course try and respond back to you as soon as possible.**

 **Until the next Chapter**

 **Digem Out!**


	8. The Meeting and More

Ch 8: The Meeting and More

 **Up in Makarov's Office:**

"Oh thank god you finally came Natsu!" said Jason as soon as Natsu opened the door and came in.

"Well that is not what I was expecting you to say when I finally came in. Especially after the way our last conversation went." replied Natsu with a little grin.

"It was better than getting stared at by Erza and then Master Makarov as if I was a villain without them saying a single word to me." stated Jason who was clearly glad that Natsu was speaking with him.

"You can't really blame them when you were in fact spying on us and more specifically trying to find out something really personal to me." pointed out Natsu as he took the seat next to him.

"I know and there were definitely better ways of going about this, but the members of Fairy Tail are very tight lipped. And so are the citizens of Magnolia as soon as they realized that I was a reporter asking questions about the Salamander." said Jason with a little grin.

"HAHAHA they are all pretty great to be concerned about me like that, and the citizens of Magnolia know that I am not a fan of interviews." stated Natsu as a smile spread across his face.

"I could tell Natsu since they clammed up as soon as I asked a few questions about you." replied Jason.

"Like I said Jason they know me pretty well, so let's cut to the chase Jason why are you here?" asked Natsu surprising Jason for a second about Natsu jumping straight in, but then he remembered who he was dealing with.

"You all already know why I am here Natsu, I want to corroborate why you haven't been doing jobs recently and also the rumors about you having a kid." answered Jason.

"Is that all Jason?" asked Natsu.

"Well I would also like to do an actual interview with you about all of this and probably about a few things in your past that the public is still unclear about." replied Jason.

"And what things would those be Jason?" asked Natsu with a serious expression on his face.

"Pretty much everything that you've done before this Natsu, because all the public ever hears about you is destroying everything in your path to take down someone they didn't even know was a threat to them. And we both know that the Council never likes to release those kinds of details to the press when it doesn't shine a too favorable light on them." said Jason hoping that Natsu would at least answer his first two questions.

"You got that right Jason, but I have kind of been doing the same thing I guess." replied Natsu with a sad smile.

"That's wrong Natsu, they've been holding information back because it would show how much Fairy Tail has helped them out while all they used to do was try and shut you down. Where you on the other hand didn't want to be bothered by me and didn't want to hurt your guilds reputation by possibly saying something wrong. Well that is what my current theory of why you don't do interviews is at the moment." explained Jason.

"I guess you have a few good points there Jason, and since you were able to deduce why I did that before. I am guessing that you can see why I haven't talked with you at all up till now?" asked Natsu as he looked into the reporters eyes while maintaining a completely serious face.

"I would have to say that you are concerned about you and your daughter becoming targets to all those who might have a slight grudge against you. And possibly even concerned about getting more attention from the rest of Fiore as well since this is huge news considering that as far as the public knows you've never been in a serious relationship." answered Jason with a frown of his own knowing that he was completely correct about all of this.

"You are a really good reporter Jason, and you already know why I haven't confirmed or denied any of this. And I can honestly say that I still don't know what to do about all of this." said Natsu with a slight frown.

"Natsu you've been doing great so far so don't start second guessing yourself. Your instincts have gotten you this far in life so my only suggestion is keep listening to them no matter what they are telling you." said Makarov with a slight smile thinking about how Natsu truly does relay on his instincts most of the time and because of that he's saved the guild and a few members a few times.

"Thanks Master Makarov but right now they're kind of preoccupied with other things." stated Natsu still having a small frown.

"Would you like to hear my opinion on all of this Natsu?" asked Jason.

"Sure Jason, since you seem like a reasonable man when you aren't shouting COOL like an idiot every five seconds." answered Natsu.

"Well first of all since I have been working with the media for a long time, I have learned one thing to be always true. And that is when something this big happens to someone there is nothing that they can do to keep the rest of the world from finding out when you're as well-known as you are Natsu. Which from judging by that face that you just made you realized this as well." said Jason as he looked at the concerned father.

"You could say that it was made painfully clear to me that I won't be able to keep this a secret unless I literally go and live in the wild." said Natsu as a grin spread across his face since that actually wasn't sounding like a too bad of an idea to him right now.

"That would probably work for a while Natsu but we both know that people would still try and find you. And even if they couldn't which I am guessing would be the case, this would only make your return to Fairy Tail all the more worse for you because just up and disappearing after the rumors that are already going around. It would be only throwing more fuel on the fire and possibly giving you more attention than you would have had if you had just stayed." said Jason.

"Alright I can see how that could be a possible outcome if I chose to do that, but so far you haven't really told me what you thought I should do with all of this." pointed out Natsu.

"I was just going to get to that, so like I was saying stuff like this always gets out and other magazines that are willing to publish rumors as facts are soon going to get wind of all of this. And they won't be concerned about how they paint you and the rest of Fairy Tail in all of this or why you've remained silent about all of this as well. I know that it might sound like I am just trying to get you to give me the first scoop on all of this but I honestly think that you should be the one to tell the public what is exactly going on. But if you still don't want to tell me I completely understand and will leave you alone after this, but I am serious about it eventually getting out meaning that your daughter will still be in danger sooner or later." finished Jason and waited for a few minutes in silence with the two members of Fairy Tail waiting for some kind of response and got absolutely nothing.

"Well it was a pleasure to talk with you Natsu but I think I will be taking my leave now." said Jason as he got up to leave but stopped when Natsu finally spoke for the first time in a few minutes.

"Her name's Akari." stated Natsu as a faint smile came to his face just from saying her name.

"Natsu you don't have to do this." said Makarov with a very concerned expression on his face.

"True Master Makarov but we both know that everything Jason just said was true and this is something I can't keep secret from everyone and honestly I don't want to since it's the best thing to happen to me in a really long time." said Natsu still having that faint smile.

"But we could use that extra time to prepare for when they eventually try something Natsu." stated Makarov.

"Master Makarov for all we know some of my enemies or the guild's could already know of this by now just from monitoring the guild. And could already be setting something into motion, but that still doesn't matter because I won't let anything happen to her while I still breathe." argued Natsu.

"I know Natsu but I don't want you to do this just because you think it's your only good option." said Makarov.

"Well it's the only good one I can see that allows me to stay in Magnolia Master Makarov." replied Natsu which surprised the other two men in the room that he was apparently thinking about leaving Magnolia.

"You were thinking about still leaving?" asked Makarov with a voice that you could obviously hear how much that hurt him to hear.

"Only temporarily Master Makarov, the amount of time would really depend on a lot of other things that would happen while I was away. The longest that I would be gone for would be seven years which is when I am pretty confident that Akari will be able to take care of herself like I did when I was seven." said Natsu with a small smile.

"Seven years!" the other two shouted at Natsu in disbelief.

"Yes you two and there really isn't a need to yell that loudly, I have better ears than both of you." said Natsu as he glared at them for shouting like that.

"Sorry Natsu we were both just a little surprised that you said seven years as if it was nothing." explained Makarov.

"Well it would be noting if it meant that Akari would be safe." replied Natsu once again shocking the other two.

"You can't be serious Natsu, what about the rest of Fairy Tail?" asked Jason.

"They would be fine and hopefully understand why I would be doing this. And it's not like I would just disappear to never be seen from again, I would probably occasionally stop by every now and again for a quick visit and to catch up." said Natsu showing the other two that he had obviously thought about this before they even had this discussion.

"But how would you survive out there with no job or source of income Natsu?" asked Makarov who was concerned for Natsu even more now.

"Master Makrov I think you are forgetting that I used to live in the wild for years while Igneel raised me, and a few months after he left me which actually continued on when I first joined the guild because Erza wouldn't let me take any jobs until I could read the requests without making any mistakes." stated Natsu as he rolled his eyes at Makarov.

"Yea but now you'd have Akari Natsu." pointed out Makarov.

"Yes that is the main reason that I haven't done this already Master Makarov. And that is why it's my fall back plan if everything else doesn't work out for me and Akari." said Natsu as he ran his hands through is hair that was a little longer than normally would have it.

"I can see that you once again have probably been thinking about all of this a lot longer than I have Natsu. And it's completely up to you and I will fully support you on any decision that you make." said Makarov as a faint smile spread across his face.

"Thanks Master Makarov that means a lot to me." replied Natsu as he smiled back at Makarov.

"So what is exactly happening here, because at one point I am positive that I heard Natsu say he was willing to disappear for seven years to protect Akari?" asked Jason who was literally confused on what was actually happening.

"HAHAHA that's only my last resort Jason, and as for what's happening right now I am willing to do an interview with you." said Natsu after chuckling at the faces Jason made at hearing all of this.

"Are you serious Natsu?" asked Jason with his eyes open wider than humanly possible.

"That I am Jason under the condition that you continue to not say COOL around me because that really bugged me for some reason." said Natsu with a smirk.

"That won't be a problem if it means we can actually have an interview." replied Jason with a huge smile on his face and a glint in his eyes.

"Glad to hear Jason, so do you want to do this right now?" asked Natsu.

"I could, but I would prefer it if we could possibly do this tomorrow so I can actually prepare some questions that I know our readers are dying to know." answered Jason with a hopeful look on his face.

"I see no reason that I can't do that." responded Natsu with a grin.

"That's great Natsu, but do you think that you could come by our main office in Crocus to do it?" asked Jason knowing that it was a lot to ask him.

"I don't know Jason that's pretty far." stated Natsu as he was wondering if he could leave Akari for that long.

"We'll pay you for the trip there and a place to stay and even something for you doing this interview Natsu." said Jason who obviously wanted Natsu to go through with this really badly.

"Would it be okay if I brought Akari with me because I honestly haven't been away from her any longer than I have been right now." stated Natsu.

"That would be even better Natsu; it would allow me to see how you are with her since that is what everyone will want to know as soon as they learn you have a kid. And I am also positive that they'll want to see her as well." said Jason with a huge smile.

"I am fine with bringing her but you will not be taking any pictures of her unless you want to look for a new place to have your main office. Do you completely understand Jason these terms of me bringing her along Jason?" asked Natsu as Jason started to sweat from the heat that was radiating off of Natsu as he glared at Jason.

"Perfectly clear Natsu, but what if we paid you for them as well because I know that my editor and everyone else will be wanting see photos of her?" asked Jason after taking a big gulp.

"Not going to happen Jason, now how much are you paying me for this interview?" asked Natsu as he slowly calmed down seeing that Jason got the message loud and clear and wasn't going to be asking him again.

"How does one hundred thousand jewels sound?" asked Jason hoping that he wouldn't anger Natsu again.

"Extremely generous Jason so we have a deal, and now I need to go back to my daughter." stated Natsu as he shook Jason's hand and left the room.

"One hundred thousand for an interview?" asked Makarov in disbelief.

"My bosses were actually willing to go even higher if we had to." stated Jason as he was about to leave as well.

"One moment Jason." said Makarov effectively stopping Jason in his tracks.

"Yes Master Makarov?" asked Jason as he turned to look at him and was shocked to see the serious expression on his face while also glaring at him.

"I know that Natsu said he's fine with all of this because we know that it's eventually going to get out sooner or later. But if anything happens to either of those two because of this article or whatever it is that you are doing I am going to be holding you responsible so you better pray that nothing happens to them." stated Makarov as he glared at the reporter.

"I understand Master Makarov which is why I will be holding off on this article until someone else starts their own story. Because the last thing I would ever want is for a little girl to be hurt because of one of my articles and I am actually hoping that I will be able to deter some individuals with this article." replied Jason who wasn't affected by Makarov's glare.

"And how would you do that?" asked Makarov who was surprised that Jason was that concerned about Natsu and Akari.

"Simple Master Makarov all I have to do is describe the look in Natsu's eyes when I upset him while talking about Akari, while also saying the lengths that he's willing to go for her." explained Jason.

"I see that would definitely be appreciated and might actually help." stated Makarov as he nodded his head.

"At least I am hoping it is Master Makarov because I honestly would hate myself if something bad happened because of me." said Jason with a frown.

"Natsu was correct when he said that you are a good reporter Jason, and I can tell that you meant everything that you just said. And I couldn't be happier that you are the one that is in charge of everything Fairy Tail related, which is why I am going to give you another example of what Natsu is willing to do for Akari." said Makarov with a genuine smile.

"And what was that Master Makarov?" asked Jason now intrigued.

"He was willing to leave Fairy Tail and not look back if that is what he needed to do to keep Akari safe." replied Makarov still smiling at Jason.

"You can't be serious Master Makarov, Fairy Tail means the world to Natsu." stated Jason in disbelief.

"That it does Jason, but now Akari is even more important which should be a good way to get across what he's willing to do for her." said Makarov as he got up and left his office with a completely stunned Jason standing all alone.

 **In the main hall moments earlier:**

"Did daddy's little dragon miss him?" asked Natsu as he came to the railing on the second floor and looked down at Cana holding Akari while having a loving smile on her face.

"Dada!" said Akari happily as she smiled up at him.

"Sounds like you did Akari." said Natsu right before he jumped down to them with a grin plastered to his face as Akari started to giggle at him.

"Oh you are just like your daddy aren't you Akari, I can already tell that you're going to be a little trouble maker when you grow up." said Natsu as he started to tickle her tummy eliciting giggles from her.

"Well that's to be expected Natsu since she's your kid." said Cana who just like the rest of the women couldn't stop smiling at Akari and Natsu.

"I'd say that she already is a little trouble maker." stated Clare in a motherly way.

"Akari what were you doing while daddy was gone?" asked Natsu with a smirk directed at her.

"Dada." cheered Akari with a big smile.

"Oh so you're already trying to get out of it are you Akari?" asked Natsu as he started to tickle her again and of course getting the same results as before.

"You really do love her Natsu." stated Erza with a fond smile on her face.

"Of course I do Erza how couldn't I when she's just so adorable. So what was she trying to grab while I was gone?" asked Natsu knowing that was the only thing Akari was capable of doing right now.

"The better question would be what she didn't try to grab that was in her eye sight." said Millianna with a big smile on her face.

"So she went after your tail again?" asked Natsu while chuckling.

"Not only that but Kagura's sword, anything that was on the table and of course her favorite is what she is doing right now." answered Millianna as Akari started to grab Cana's face and anything else she could get her hands on while smiling and laughing as if it was the best thing in the world.

"HAHAHA come on Akari you know that I only allow you to do that to uncle Gajeel." said Natsu as he was about to take Akari back from Cana.

"It's alright Natsu I really don't mind when she's this happy just from touching my face." said Cana not noticing that Natsu was trying to take his daughter back from her.

"She's a very happy kid for some reason." stated Natsu as he scratched the back of his head.

"I'd say Natsu, she has barely ever cried whenever we visit." said Mira with a sly smile on her face.

"Once again it makes sense to me at least since Natsu is her father." stated Kagura with a faint blush.

"You do have a point there Kagura, because I don't know if I have ever seen Natsu without a smile or a grin on his face." pointed out Millianna.

"Well trust me you two I have had some really bad days but I am more fortunate than most and I am usually happy. And it would be great if Akari was the same way, oh and she definitely cries Mira but it's usually when I am just getting to sleep. But I have the feeling that she is only doing that because she's lonely and wants to hear my voice." said Natsu as he smiled at Cana who was lovingly interacting with Akari as if they were the only two in the room.

"You are only human Natsu so of course you're not always happy." stated Erza.

"And Akari just really loves her daddy Natsu, and wants to know you're still there." said Mira as everyone else nodded their heads in agreement.

"They're right Natsu and it's painfully obvious to everyone else how much Akari loves you." said Makarov from the bar with a proud smile on his face.

"Thanks Master Makarov and I am just wanting to make she grows up happy and healthy." replied Natsu.

"Well we all know that she won't be smart considering who her dad is." said Grey from the other side of the guild with a smug grin.

"Grey!" hissed most of the women in the guild at him for saying such a mean thing.

"It's alright everyone; I know that I have never been the smartest guy in pretty much any group that I am in. And that doesn't matter because I know Akari will have all of you to help her out on the things that I can't teach her myself." said Natsu not even looking at Grey since he was still preoccupied with Akari. The whole guild was completely shocked that Natsu seemed to not care about Grey insulting his intelligence at all and actually went on to admit that he wasn't the smartest one out there. And even said that he was going to make sure that Akari didn't have the same disadvantage as him by making sure she learned from other guild members, which brought a warm smile to everyone's face except for Grey's.

"That was very mature of you Natsu." stated Makarov once again smiling at him proudly.

"I would love to teach Akari." volunteered Levy with a huge grin gracing her features.

"I figured as much since you keep buying her new books already." replied Natsu giving her a quick grin.

"Even that won't help her because the rest of the time she'll be with you flame brain, which will make her an idiot just like you." said Grey obviously trying to goad Natsu into a fight.

"Grey just shut up already." shouted a few guild members.

"Why the hell should I when ash for brains is going to be raising her to be an idiot just like him. I can't be the only one that sees this is only going to change it from just one moron running around and destroying everything, to now having two of them doing it pretty soon for crying out loud. How am I the only one seeing that Natsu is going to screw this kid up if he keeps raising her?" asked Grey now noticing that the guild was completely quiet, and rather than glaring at him like he expected they were all staring at Natsu who had his back still to him. And for a few minutes the guild remained perfectly quiet without anyone making a single noise except for Akari who was giggling at whatever Cana and Natsu were doing with her.

"Look he's now too stupid to even realize that I am insulting him right now. The bastard is probably too much of a pussy to even fight anymore since he hasn't done a single job in over a month, which means that he won't even be able to raise her to protect herself like a real dad would." said Grey knowing that he might be going too far with this but he was sick of all the attention Natsu was getting just from adopting Akari. And he also hadn't fought him in a whole month and that hadn't happened since Natsu first joined the guild.

"GREY?" asked Natsu in a deep voice that was ice cold and actually made a few members flinch from just hearing it.

"What flame brain, are you going to make me pay for saying the truth that on one else is willing to say?" asked Grey with a grin thinking that they were going to finally fight.

"I HONESTLY DON'T CARE WHAT YOU THINK OF ME AND NEVER HAVE SINCE WE FIRST MET. BUT I WILL NOT STAND FOR YOU SAYING SUCH THINGS ABOUT AKARI WHEN YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I AM CAPABLE OF DOING. AND I GUESS I COULD LET ALL OF THAT SLIDE CONSIDERING YOU'RE THE GUILD'S BIGGEST A HOLE, BUT YOU HAD TO GO PAST THE POINT OF MY FORGIVENESS AND START USING WORDS THAT I DO NOT TOLERATE FOR AKARI TO BE HEARING WHILE SHE'S THIS YOUNG. AND YOU COULDN'T STOP THERE COULD YOU GREY YOU HAD TO SAY THAT I WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO TEACH HER TO PROTECT HERSELF!" said Natsu still in that deep and cold voice of his as the turned around as slowly started to walk towards Grey as everyone quickly moved out of the way.

"So what Matchstick?" asked Grey trying to not show how scared he was right now of Natsu just from him glaring at him while using that weird voice.

"SO WHAT, YOU ASK GREY? SIMPLE IF YOU SAY ANY OF THAT EVER AGAIN WHILE I CAN HEAR YOU, I HONESTLY DON'T CARE IF WE ARE APART OF THE SAME GUILD. I WILL BEAT YOU WITHIN AN INCH OF YOUR LIFE TO THE POINT IF THEY AREN'T CAREFUL WHILE CARRYING YOU TO THE HOSPITAL YOU'LL DIE. AND I WILL NOT HAVE A SINGLE REGRET SINCE YOU FELT THE NEED TO TRY AND SHOW OFF OR SOMETHING STUPID LIKE THAT IN FRONT OF THE GUILD WHILE I WAS JUST QUIETLY MINDING MY OWN BUSINESS WITH MY DAUGHTER AND OTHER MEMBERS. OH AND THIS ISN'T A THREAT GREY THIS IS A PROMISE THAT I AM HONESTLY GLAD THE REST OF THE GUILD IS HEARING BECAUSE IF IT DOES HAPPEN THEY'LL ALL KNOW EXACTLY WHY. SO WHY DON'T YOU LEAVE RIGHT NOW BEFORE I DECIDE TO SHOW YOU WHAT JUST A SMALL PORTION OF WHAT THAT WOULD FEEL LIKE." said Natsu now standing right in front of Grey who was no longer able to hide that Natsu was scaring the shit out of him. But Grey not wanting to back down after the things that he just said decided that he was going to get that fight out of Natsu while he still could so he jumped back from Natsu so he had enough time and distance to do his move.

" **ICE MAKE: L** …" was all Grey got out before his face met a flaming fist while hearing Natsu shout " **FIRE DRAGON'S IRON FIST!** ". As the rest of the guild watched Grey go flying through the air and even through the wall of the guild just from the punch that Natsu gave him.

"Sorry Master Makarov but I couldn't stand him saying those things about her." said Natsu as he went back to Akari who didn't even notice his absence thanks to Cana.

"Thanks for keeping her distracted Cana." said Natsu as he came up to them.

"No problem Natsu, and I am surprised that it took you that long to hit him." said Cana with a smile sent Natsu's way.

"She's right Natsu, I am pretty sure that the rest of the guild is thinking the same thing. And Grey was saying things that were simply just wrong and he had no right saying them to another guild member. And he'll be punished once he returns because that is not how we treat each other here at Fairy Tail." stated Makarov with a small grin.

"I really don't think you need to do that Master Makarov since he'll be out for a long time, and I think he might receive the cold shoulder for a while from the rest of the guild because of what he said." replied Natsu once again completely captivated by Akari.

"You're right Natsu, and that will be worse than anything that I could come up with." stated Makarov as he looked at a few of the women in the guild that were glaring at the hole Grey made with is body because they couldn't glare at him yet.

"Also I am pretty sure that when Wendy gets back she isn't going to heal anything that isn't life threatening." stated Natsu as a grin spread across his face.

"And why would she do that Natsu?" asked Kagura who was still having some trouble figuring out what just happened since nothing like that would ever happen at Mermaid Heel.

"Because we dragon slayers always have each other's back." replied Natsu with a bigger grin than before.

"Do Gajeel and Laxus know about this?" asked Cana with a small smirk.

"Of course they do Cana even though they would never admit it to anyone else even if their life depended on it, but I still trust them completely to guard my back when needed." said Natsu looking at all the happy faces even after his and Grey's little scene.

"That is something I didn't expect to see today, well Natsu before I go here is the name of the hotel that we already have booked for you to use tonight and the next three days if you want to stay in the Capitol a little longer than it takes us to complete our interview. Just tell the person at the front desk who you are which is also all you need to do at the train station as well to get your free ride." said Jason with a big smile as all of Fairy Tail looked at him like he was a crazy person.

"Thanks Jason and I think we might make the trip out there tonight so both of us will be rested for our big day tomorrow, isn't that right Akari?" asked Natsu as he took the paper Jason was handing him and then started to tickle Akari.

"Well I know that the whole office will be waiting anxiously for your arrival once I tell them the good news. And they will all especially want to see you Akari since you are the person that tamed the Salamander." said Jason with a grin spreading across his lips.

"Come on Jason, please don't put anything like that in your article because it sounds really cheesy?" asked Natsu looking at the reporter.

"It was just a joke at first Natsu but that title alone will sell tons of magazines, since everyone will want to know who was able to do such an impossible feat as stopping the most destructive mage in all of Fiore. Man I have to start jotting down these ideas before I forget them, and depending how much you are willing to tell me this could be a multiple article interview." said Jason as he took out a notepad and started scribbling away as he walked out of the guild still thinking out loud about how there were so many possibilities.

"He's a funny man isn't he Akari?" asked Natsu and Akari's response was giggling at Natsu.

"I can see that we are both thinking the same on this one Akari and we should have some fun with him tomorrow." said Natsu as a grin made its way to his face.

"Natsu, what was that all about?" asked Kagura since she wasn't as surprised as the rest of the guild.

"I would think that it would be pretty obvious but I guess I might as well clear everything up since it looks like you aren't the only one wanting to know." said Natsu as he looked at the rest of the guild staring at him as if he had a second head.

"Well would you get on with it Natsu?" asked Cana as she finally handed Akari over to Natsu.

"Akari and I are going to be going to their main office to do an interview tomorrow about what I have been up to recently. And believe me when I say that I have thought about all the different possibilities of how this could all go wrong, but it's one of the only ways that I can make sure that more rumors don't get spread which will be happening more than they already are considering that Jason already knew pretty much everything." explained Natsu as Akari adjusted herself on his right arm and snuggled up against him.

"I can't believe that you are actually going to do an interview." stated Macao who knew how much Natsu disliked them.

"Well I am going to put that aside because I am only doing this for Akari." replied Natsu as he looked down at Akari who was snuggling against him as if she might be cold.

"What was Jason saying about getting you a hotel and riding the train for free?" asked Lucy finding that very odd.

"Oh he just really wanted this interview and is paying for everything while Akari and I are there while also giving me one hundred thousand jewels for my first legit interview." answered Natsu as he was checking to see if Akari was all right.

"That's so many jewels to just get an interview with you." stated Lucy in shock.

"Well this will be Natsu's first interview ever Lucy and he has been in the news a lot, so it's not surprising that they would do all of that to get him to interview with them first." said Mira with her usual smile.

"Actually they are willing to pay him even more than what they already offered you Natsu, and I would suggest you use this opportunity to make a few extra jewels since you won't be working for a while." suggested Makarov with a sly grin.

"I might have to do that Master Makarov, maybe if they start asking me about my past like Jason suggested that he would." replied Natsu with his thinking expression on his face which wasn't seen often by the guild.

"Would you mind if I tagged along with you Natsu, since it's on my way back to my guild?" asked Kagura with a faint blush gracing her cheeks.

"It's not on our wa.. oooowwww!" said Millianna who was then elbowed in the side causing her to shut up.

"I would love that Kagura since Akari isn't much of a talker yet and she's already taken a real liking to you." replied Natsu with a little smile.

"Thanks Natsu and I am ready to leave whenever you are." said Kagura who was calming down, since she didn't know if Natsu would be fine with her coming along with him.

"Natsu is it okay if I come along too since I have been meaning to stop by a specific shop in Crocus but haven't made the trip since it's boring if you aren't going with anyone else?" asked Cana thinking that she did a great job with coming up with an excuse since it was actually true surprisingly.

"How could I say no to the person that kept Akari safe for me while I was talking with Jason and dealing with Grey? Also the more the merrier as I like to say and since Akari likes you a lot you can definitely come with us." answered Natsu with a grin sent her way before he went back to playing with Akari and her plushy dragon that Clare gave her.

"So I take it you don't mind if I tell Jason about what happened that day Natsu?" asked Clare with a big smile.

"Not at all Clare and thank you so much for everything and I am sorry that I dragged you into my mess." replied Natsu.

"No problem at all Natsu since this allowed me to meet Akari sooner than I probably otherwise would have." stated Clare as she smiled down at Akari in Natsu's arm.

"And I am sorry about that too Clare." apologized Natsu who was cut off before he could continue and say anymore.

"Natsu didn't I tell you that you never have to apologize to me when you are being a great father and making sure that Akari is completely fine. Which is exactly what you've been doing and will keep doing, so don't feel bad if you don't stop by any time soon because I know that she'll be keeping you busy." said Clare as she grabbed her things and was about to leave.

"Thanks Clare and Akari say goodbye to grandma Clare." said Natsu with a huge smirk and watched Clare once again walk away from him while laughing to herself about becoming a grandma to someone she isn't even related to.

"Dada!" said Akari happily as she looked up at Natsu.

"You love that word because you know it makes me happy every time I hear it don't you Akari?" asked Natsu as he started to play with her again.

"Hey Natsu do you think that I might be able to come along with you guys?" asked Lucy nervously.

"I don't have any problems with that but we'll have to see about my little dragon since she's the reason I am even doing any of this." answered Natsu with a small grin.

"And how will we know that?" asked Lucy who was even more nervous than before.

"We'll see how she reacts to you holding her." replied Natsu as he got ready to pass Akari to Lucy much to the discomfort of Akari for being removed from her favorite spot in the world.

"Hi there Akari." said Lucy with a big smile as she grabbed Akari from Natsu.

"Dada!" said Akari with a slightly scared face as she tried to go back to him but couldn't.

"It's okay Akari I'm right here honey." said Natsu trying to calm her down.

"DADA!" said Akari louder with her lower lip now quivering.

"I don't think she likes me Natsu." said Lucy as she tried to hide her sad facial expression.

"Sorry about that Lucy she definitely has a mind of her own." said Natsu as he took Akari back from Lucy before she could start crying.

"It's not your fault Natsu she just hasn't seen me that much." stated Lucy knowing that it wasn't the reason for Akari not liking her, but it was the best that she could come up with right on the spot.

"You're probably right Lucy so she just needs to warm up to you." agreed Natsu as he was now rocking Akari back and forth soothingly.

"She didn't do that to us the first time she saw us." whispered Millianna to Kagura.

"I know and I am pretty sure both of them know that too." Kagura whispered back.

"Well I was going to ask if I could hold her but it looks like now probably isn't the best time." stated Erza with a slight frown.

"We can try Erza because Akari is back to normal already." said Natsu as he showed her his smiling daughter with his scarf in her mouth.

"I think I will do that another time Natsu and shouldn't you get prepared for your trip today?" asked Erza with a slight smile.

"You are completely correct Erza, oh Cana and Kagura would it be okay if we met at the train station in two hours?" asked Natsu already at the doors of the guild.

"That's fine for us Natsu." answered Cana since Kagura said that she was ready to leave whenever.

"Thanks you two and see you both then." said Natsu with a smile and then disappeared through the doors.

"Well look at you two already make moves on our little dragon slayer." said Mira with a smirk and a sparkle in her eyes.

"I am surprised that you didn't ask to come along Mira." stated Cana as she looked at the barmaid.

"I would have but I have to work for the next two days, and besides how could I stop you two from having a romantic double date with Natsu and Akari?" asked Mira still smirking at them.

"It's not a date." mumbled Kagura.

"But you wish it was Kagura." sang Millianna in a cheerful voice as Kagura started to blush.

"It's not a date yet, but you could easily change that Kagura." stated Mira enjoying all of this more than she probably should as Kagura's blush deepened even more.

"Leave her alone you two." stated Cana as she glared at Mira and Millianna.

"Oh sticking up for your competition over Natsu, interesting move but you two have that at least in common." said Mira as she grinned at Cana.

"Well that along with Akari liking both of us way more than you Mira." said Cana with a smile.

"Mark my words Cana I will figure out what she sees in you two." declared Mira who then stormed off finding it no longer fun to be around Cana.

"I am surprised that Natsu looked so willing to take the train, I thought that he had to be dragged onto one of those things?" asked Millianna who had heard all of the horror stories from Erza.

"I found that quite odd too." stated Erza.

"Me too." said Lucy who was still sad that Akari didn't like her at all.

"That's because the last time he rode one he was with Akari and he didn't get sick at all. Natsu thinks that it might have been because he was too focused on Akari to get sick, so he's hoping that it happens again." explained Cana with a slightly smug expression on her face since she once again knew something about Natsu that Erza and Lucy didn't.

"And how did you find that out?" asked Lucy.

"Because I have spent a lot of time with Natsu and Akari over the past month and we've talked about a lot of things." replied Cana.

"Oh yeah I forgot about that." said Lucy once again with a frown.

"It's okay Lucy you just need to spend some more time with Akari like me. And I think I have to agree with Mira on you liking Natsu more than a friend Cana." said Erza with a grin.

"And so what if I do Erza, are you going to forbid it so that you can try and take him for yourself?" asked Cana shocking those that were listening to them.

"No not at all Cana, I was going to say that it's good to see you taking an interest in something other than booze. Also that it's a good idea for you to be with them since we don't know if some of Natsu's enemies already know about Akari." stated Erza brushing off Cana's tone and her insinuating that she might like Natsu.

"Erza is right and I think that we might need to start watching Natsu even if he doesn't want it. Because despite whatever he says this makes him an easier target than he's ever been before." said Makarov while stroking his mustache.

"Natsu's actually fine with that Master, and would actually be fine with someone being with him at all times of the day. And would actually prefer it the person staying with him at all times is one of the people he can leave Akari with so he can be the one to fight any possible threats." explained Erza with a slight smile since she already worked most of this out with Natsu earlier today.

"That's great news but isn't that list of people very small?" asked Makarov.

"It is Master, so far it's just Cana and the other dragon slayers." replied Erza.

"I don't think any of them expect for Wendy and Cana will be willing to do this." stated Makarov still stroking his mustache.

"I don't know about that Master, the other two have actually been over to his place more often than you might think. And I am positive that other people are willing to fill in anytime they can't like me for example." said Mira with a smile.

"Gajeel and I will definitely be okay with helping out." said Levy with a big smile.

"You guys are forgetting Kagura can hold Akari by herself." pointed out Millianna with a big smile.

"That's true Millianna but we couldn't ask her to do this since it would take up a lot of her time." replied Erza.

"That's not a problem at all since she wants to do this and is just too embarrassed to ask, isn't that right Kagura?" asked Millianna as she started to elbow Kagura playfully who was blushing even more now after what Millianna just said.

"Is that true Kagura?" asked Erza as she looked at her.

"Yes I guess." mumbled Kagura quietly.

"Well we'll just have to work you into the schedule then, which we can start working on right now." said Erza with a smile since she liked doing things like this.

"I am pretty much free whenever Erza." said Cana with a grin thinking about how great this was since it meant more time with Natsu and Akari.

"I could probably stay for a week each month and still do the same amount of jobs for my guild." said Kagura with a smile.

"That's good to know Kagura; I will talk with Laxus and see if he wants to help out with this. And once I get it all figured out I tell you when you're scheduled to be with them." said Erza as she and Mira went to their own table to start working this whole guarding Natsu and Akari schedule out with backups planned in case someone has something come up.

"Well I need to go pack since we might stay in Crocus for three days." said Cana as she got up to go leave.

"Oh no I don't have enough clothes for three days." stated Kagura now angry at herself for not being prepared for something like this.

"Don't worry Kagura we can go buy you some new ones right now, maybe something that might catch Natsu's eye?" said Millianna with a smug grin on her face since it was so easy to make Kagura blush when talking about Natsu.

"Cut that out Millianna, but your idea of going to get clothes was really good. So let's go and get some before I have to meet Natsu at the station in less than two hours." said Kagura as she marched out of the guild with Millianna following her with Happy eating a fish in her arms.

 **Two hours later on a train heading to Crocus:**

"Wow they really went all out for you Natsu." stated Cana after letting out a long whistle when looking at the private cabin that they bought for Natsu and Akari.

"That they did, I didn't even know that they had these on the train." said Natsu as he sat down on the extremely comfy sofa in the room.

"I didn't either, how much do you think it would have costed us to get this ourselves?" asked Kagura as she sat down across from Natsu in the other sofa with Cana.

"Definitely more than I would ever pay since usually I am passed out on the floor." replied Natsu with a grin as he looked back down at Akari playing with his scarf.

"It even has its own mini fridge stocked with booze and snacks." said Cana as she opened it up and peered inside.

"We probably shouldn't take any of those or they might charge us." stated Kagura as Cana looked at both of them with a frown.

"Cana knock yourself out since Jason told me that everything on this trip was on them and if you want anything in there go right ahead." said Natsu with a smile seeing Cana's eyes light up as he said that.

"Don't mind if I do then." said Cana as she grabbed a few of the mini bottles of booze and returned to her seat with a grin.

"I am surprised that you didn't take all of them." stated Natsu with a small grin.

"There's still time Natsu and I have been cutting back some recently." stated Cana as she looked away from him and downed one of the bottles in one go.

"You could have fooled me." said Kagura surprised that she just threw back one of those bottles like it was nothing.

"Hey I have, because before just recently I usually would be almost passed out at this time of the day." stated Cana as she gave Kagura a quick glare.

"Good for you Cana, but is there a certain reason why you decided to cut back?" asked Natsu as he didn't even look up from playing with Akari.

"I few reasons, but mostly it felt like I didn't need to be doing that every day. I want to start doing something more productive than just drinking every day despite how fun that is." said Cana as she smiled at Natsu being so focused on Akari.

"I can understand that Cana, I just recently was thinking the same things. And my answer was getting this little bundle of joy who now means everything to me." said Natsu as he looked up and smiled at Cana for a second.

"I know Natsu." whispered Cana to herself, happy to see Natsu back to his normal happy self all thanks to Akari.

"What was that Cana, I couldn't make that out over the noise of the train?" asked Natsu.

"Oh I was just wondering where Millianna and Happy were since you two are usually always seen with your respective partners." said Cana not wanting to repeat what she just said earlier.

"I actually don't know why Happy didn't tag along, it had something to do with getting tons of fish and being with Millianna." replied Natsu with a grin since that was the only way for Happy to not be with him. There was also Carla but Happy didn't mention her so she probably didn't cause him to stay at the guild this time.

"Well I actually know why both of them didn't come and it was because Millianna wanted to spend some more time with Happy and this was her best chance at that." answered Kagura, deciding to leave out the part that Millianna only did that so it would just be the four of them. And Millianna and Happy kept teasing her about going on dates with Natsu and eventually becoming one big happy family. Kagura didn't know if she liked the fact that Happy was no longer running away from Millianna as if his life depended on it, because he would now join in on all of Millianna's pranks and teasing her.

"I'm glad that those two are getting along together now." said Natsu with a big grin and only could wonder why it took Happy this long to realize that he and Millianna were so similar and would enjoy being friends.

"I guess it's better than seeing Millianna sad about him always trying to get away." stated Kagura as she let out a sigh. And for the next few hours they all just casually talked about whatever was on their minds at the time.

"Dada!" cheered Akari happily.

"I know you love your daddy Akari but are you even going to try and say anything else, like dragon or Fairy Tail?" asked Natsu with a grin.

"Dada!" cheered Akari again with a big smile.

"I am going to take that as a no, what about Cana or Kagura?" asked Natsu as he pointed at the two women who were both just quietly watching him and Akari with huge smiles on their faces. Akari looked at them and then back at Natsu with a cute little confused expression and repeated this action a few more times until a smile spread across her face as she looked at all of them again.

"Mama." said Akari with a big smile as she reached out towards Cana and Kagura with one of her hands since the other one was grabbing Natsu. Needless to say the three adults in the cabin were completely stunned by Akari saying such a thing while obviously looking at one of the girls.

"That was definitely not what I was expecting you to say Akari." said Natsu with a small smile on his face since he really didn't know what else to say or do in this situation.

"Mama?" asked Akari with a slightly confused expression.

"Sorry honey but they are…" started Natsu but was cut off.

"Wait Natsu." said Cana and Kagura at the same time. Both not being able to watch Natsu tell Akari that whoever she thought was her mother wasn't actually her mom, because they could already see how much it was actually hurting Natsu to even start and try and explain it to Akari. Who also looked sad that Natsu wasn't giving her his usual smile when talking, especially after she said something knew.

"You don't need to tell her that Natsu." said Kagura with a sad smile.

"Why don't we let Akari keep thinking that for at least this trip? I mean it won't hurt her if you just let her say that for however long we stay here." said Cana also with a sad smile since she didn't have a mother when she was younger. Just like Kagura which is probably why they both didn't mind Akari saying that to whomever she was reaching for.

"Are you sure you two, I don't want her to get confused about all of this?" asked Natsu with a concerned look on his face.

"Natsu how much do you remember when you were under the age of one?" asked Cana.

"Nothing actually." replied Natsu.

"So Akari probably won't either." said Cana.

"But it might be a good idea to not reinforce her saying that to us." suggested Kagura with a small smile.

"And why not if she isn't going to remember any of this?" asked Natsu.

"Because Akari will remember it for the time being and you don't want her to actually start thinking that one of us is her mom do you?" asked Kagura.

"I guess you are probably right, but then why don't I just tell her what I was going to before?" asked Natsu now really confused on what he was supposed to do about this.

"Because she doesn't need to know that yet Natsu and she can pick up on your emotion which is why we stopped you." explained Cana hoping that he would understand.

"I don't really get it but whatever, let's try that again Akari. Can you say Cana?" asked Natsu as he pointed at Cana who for some reason was as far away from Kagura as possible, while still being on the sofa.

"Mama." said Akari with a little smile.

"Okay then let's see if you can say Kagura." said Natsu as he pointed at Kagura.

"Mama." said Akari still smiling.

"Is that your new favorite word Akari?" asked Natsu as he grinned at her.

"Dada!" cheered Akari as she grabbed his face and started to giggle at Natsu making faces at her.

"Maybe she'll say that to all women." suggested Kagura who really hoped that wasn't true since she loved it when Akari said that to her while smiling at her as well.

"I really don't know Kagura but my little dragon here is already causing trouble and she's not even a year old." said Natsu while shaking his head so Akari was having trouble grabbing it but was giggling none the less.

"All I know is that I am glad it didn't happen in the guild." stated Cana as she started to imagine how that would happen.

"Why not Cana, because if we were there we could have figured out if that is what Akari is calling all women." said Natsu as he continued to play with Akari.

"First off Natsu, you know that everyone would have made a really big deal out of it. Erza probably would have tried to get one of us to marry you on the spot while Mira would have burst into tears thinking that everything I have been saying about her not being motherly was true. And everyone else would be freaking out for no good reason at all, which is why I am glad it only happened with just us. Also I can't believe I am actually saying this but we're the only ones that would have acted like real adults about this and not make a huge deal out of it." explained Cana who just like Kagura really liked hearing Akari say that when she was definitely looking at her.

"I guess you're right about that Cana, and if Akari says that to other people while we head to the hotel and while we're here we'll know that she is using that for any women and not just you two for some reason." said Natsu as he got up and grabbed his bags.

"What are you doing Natsu?" asked Kagura.

"Leaving since the train stopped and I really don't want to ride it again. Even though Akari here is my good luck charm that keeps me from getting sick." said Natsu as ruffled the little pink hair that Akari had causing her to giggle like she usually does with Natsu.

"I didn't even notice that we stopped moving." stated Kagura as she grabbed her things.

"So where is this hotel at Natsu?" asked Cana as she took her things and followed them out of the train.

"It's supposed to be right next to the train station." replied Natsu in the lead of the group with Akari looking at everything with wide eyes.

"Well I hope that it's just as nice as that compartment they gave you because I just want to go to sleep." stated Cana walking at Natsu's right side while scanning the crowds and people they passed.

"I can agree with you on that one Cana, and I am sure that Akari will be out like a light once I read her a bedtime story." said Natsu.

"What do you plan to read her Natsu?" said Kagura who was on his left side doing the same thing as Cana.

"Probably The Lost Dragon because it's her favorite, but that's probably because I really get into it while reading that one." said Natsu with a grin because out of all the books that he's read Akari that one is still his favorite.

"I really like that one when I read that to her earlier today." said Kagura with a smile as they entered the hotel.

"How may I help you?" asked the man behind the main desk.

"I'm Natsu Dragneel and I was told that you would have a room for me." stated Natsu with a kind smile.

"And how do we know that you're actually him?" asked the man.

"Well isn't my hair color enough?" asked Natsu since he was known for two things in Fiore, which were his hair color and causing destruction.

"People dye their hair now days in all sorts of weird colors so you could still be a fake." replied the man.

"Then how about this, and my hair color isn't weird." growled Natsu as his left hand lit on fire causing Akari to laugh and try and grab it.

"Thank you Mr. Dragneel, I just had to be sure that it was really you. Now here's the key to your room, 801 which is the top floor so I suggest taking the elevator." said the man with a smile as he handed Natsu two sets of keys.

"Thanks, and where is the elevator?" asked Natsu since he had never actually used one since they move by themselves making them a form of transportation.

"That door right there Mr. Dragneel." said the man pointing it out for them.

"Thanks." said Cana and Kagura as they followed Natsu to the elevator.

"This is a really nice hotel." stated Kagura as she finally started to admire the lobby as they waited for the elevator.

"Definitely the best one I've ever been in." said Cana as she too started to admire the building.

"As long as it's got a roof and four walls I'm happy." replied Natsu with a big grin as the two girls rolled their eyes at him.

"That is just like you Natsu." said Cana as they entered the elevator.

"And what does that mean Cana?" asked Natsu as he gave her a quick glance and then went back to playing with Akari so he wouldn't get sick in this deathtrap as he liked to call all forms of transportation.

"That you only care about Fighting, Food and protecting what you care about while also making sure that they are still happy." stated Cana with a smile.

"Is that so bad?" asked Natsu.

"Not at all Natsu, it's just not what normal people do." said Cana while still smiling.

"Well I have never once tried to be normal so I guess I am okay with that." replied Natsu causing Cana to chuckle and him to give her a questioning look.

"Just you being you Natsu." said Cana as they waited a little while longer to get to the top and for the doors to open.

"They are literally just throwing jewels at you." said Kagura as she went through the hallways that let you know you were in an expensive part of the hotel.

"Doesn't really matter, but I guess I might have to stay here the whole time since they already paid for it." said Natsu as they came to the door.

"I can get that for you Natsu." offered Kagura as she took one of the keys from him and then opened the door stepping aside for Natsu to enter.

"Thanks Kagura." said Natsu as he entered their room.

"Just wow!" said Cana as she looked at the room.

"It's bigger than my whole place." stated Natsu as he stepped into the living room that even had a small kitchen in one of the corners along with a fully stocked bar.

"Not to mention a whole lot nicer and I don't mean that your place is bad Natsu." said Kagura who realized that what she first said could be misinterpreted.

"You got that right Kagura, well you two can make yourself at home while I get Akari here ready for bed." said Natsu as he went into the bed room and then straight into the bathroom.

"This place must cost a fortune." stated Cana not believing that all of this was given to Natsu for free.

"I honestly can't see how anyone would ever be okay with paying so much for a place like this." said Kagura as they went to the bed room.

"Me either Kagura, but I …" said Cana who stopped because they both could now see that there was only one bed in this huge bedroom.

"I don't even know what to say." said Kagura as she couldn't take her eyes off of the queen sized bed in the middle of the room.

"We really should have seen this coming though." replied Cana getting a nod of agreement out of Kagura.

"So what are we going to do?" asked Kagura who turned to Cana who had a faint blush because of some thoughts that she couldn't help from popping into her mind.

"Let Natsu deal with it." mumbled Cana.

"That sounds like a good idea." said Kagura who then jumped at the sound of Natsu speaking.

"Well that's good to hear because I have already decided that you two can share it while Akari and I will be on the couch." said Natsu from the bathroom.

"Dam dragon slayers and their hearing." mumbled Kagura which only caused them to hear Natsu chuckling from the bathroom to himself.

"Are you sure Natsu, because this was all meant for you and Akari?" asked Cana.

"Positive Cana, besides I usually sleep sitting now because of my little dragon here that won't sleep in her crib by herself at all." said Natsu and doing something to cause Akari to start giggling at him.

"And you're not just doing this to be nice?" asked Cana as she set her things down.

"Can't it be both?" asked Natsu still in the bathroom.

"As long as you're positive about this." stated Cana as she sat down on the bed and instantly fell in love with it.

"I already said that I was, and I can tell you no longer care." said Natsu with big grin as he came out of the bathroom and looked at Cana sprawled out on the bed with a happy smile on her face.

"It's so soft and comfy." said Cana as she rolled around on it.

"I bet it is Cana but you'll have to share it with Kagura too." said Natsu as he then headed into the living room.

"I really don't need to Natsu, I'll be fine on the floor." replied Kagura.

"Well that is definitely not happening, but if you don't want the bed then you are going on the couch no matter what you say." declared Natsu from the other room.

"I don't want that because then you'll be on the floor." said Kagura in disbelief that Natsu would do that while he's the one with the kid.

"Then just sleep with me on the bed Kagura, I promise I won't bite and soon as you lay down on this thing you won't want to leave it." suggested Cana with a big grin.

"I don't know." said Kagura as she came closer to the bed.

"I am positive that you've done this with Millianna before Kagura, and it's not like Natsu will be joining us." teased Cana as Kagura's face started to brighten.

"Quite Cana, Natsu can hear us." hissed Kagura.

"Not until you at least sit down on it, because I also don't want Natsu and Akari on the floor." stated Cana lying comfortably on her side of the bed.

"Fine but you need to stop those comments, and oh my god this is so comfy." said Kagura as she sat down and then quickly made herself comfortable.

"I need to know how much one of these costs." said Cana with a grin.

"We could try and find out tomorrow while Natsu and Akari are doing their interview." suggested Kagura.

"That sounds like a great idea after I swing by this other shop." said Cana as she looked up at the ceiling.

"I thought that was a lie you were telling to just come with Natsu and Akari." stated Kagura.

"Nope, I actually had a legit reason unlike you since everyone except for Natsu knows that this is not on your way to your guild." replied Cana with a sly grin.

"Shhh Cana, you said you would stop." whispered Kagura as she glared at Cana.

"Okay that was the last time I promise, besides Kagura those two are probably too busy entertaining each other to even be paying attention to us." replied Cana.

"Isn't it a little too quite." pointed out Kagura after they laid there without saying anything for a few seconds.

"You're right, let's go and see what's up." said Cana as she reluctantly got off of the bed. And they went into the living room, and she came upon a scene that she's seen a few times in the last month. There sitting on the couch was Natsu fast asleep with Akari protectively held by him in his arms, both of them having huge smiles on their faces as they enjoyed each other's presence.

"Awww!" said Kagura quietly at the sight.

"I know this is how it's been for the past month. Both of them falling asleep together and happy as anyone can be." replied Cana quietly with a fond smile on her face.

"They look perfect together." stated Kagura as she couldn't help but stare at the two.

"They truly are and I won't let anyone ruin it." said Cana with a determined look in her eyes.

"It would appear that most of the guild is of the same mind." replied Kagura with a smile.

"It's to be expected after everything he's done for the guild and everyone in it. Especially after they found out that he was having a hard time figuring out what he was going to do with himself since he watched his dad die, but now we can all see that becoming a dad was his purpose." said Cana as she looked at Natsu with a caring smile.

"I didn't even know about that." said Kagura who was shocked to hear this about Natsu.

"Most of the guild didn't either, but we can talk about this later Kagura. Let's give those two some rest since they are really going to need it for tomorrow." said Cana as she turned and headed back to the bed with Kagura following.

 **End of Chapter**

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Thanks for reading and I hope you all enjoyed it. So right off I want to say that I don't hate Grey at all but he was the only one who would do something like that, which wouldn't have been any different than what he usually says to Natsu expect for this time he brought Akari into it. As I showed was a bad idea, and like I said in that part Grey knew that he was going a little too far but he really wanted the old Natsu back that would always be getting into a fight with him. Yes I know that it was a stupid way of him going about it but most of the time people seem to pick the stupid option, well at least that is what I have noticed in life. So I wanted to state that right away to hopefully clear up things before people accuse me of hating Grey and bashing his character when actually he's probably my favorite male character after the dragon slayers of Fairy Tail and Gildarts. So as always feel free to leave me a review and I will try to get back to you as soon as possible.**

 **Until the next Chapter**

 **Digem Out!**


	9. The Interview

DLD Ch 9: The Interview

 **The next morning:**

"Rise and shine sleepy heads." said Natsu as he came into the bedroom with Akari being held in his right arm like usual. The two women in the bed made no moves to get up and all Natsu heard was a groan of protest from one of them.

"What are we going to do with them Akari? It's already ten in the morning and it looks like they might stay this way for the rest of the day if we don't do anything." said Natsu as he looked at his daughter who was smiling back at him.

"Ba!" replied Akari while still smiling at Natsu.

"Oh, you think they might get up if they start smelling breakfast cooking Akari?" asked Natsu with a big smile sent to Akari, who only responded to his question with a little yelp while still smiling at him.

"I'm going to take that as a yes. Okay daddy's little dragon, let's go make them some breakfast since we've both been up for hours already." said Natsu as he went to the little kitchen and looked in the fridge.

"Looks like they're getting some bacon and eggs Akari. Something that I know I can't even mess up, can you say bacon for daddy?" asked Natsu as he brought out the bacon. Akari let out another happy yelp while smiling at Natsu who couldn't help but smile back.

"I don't think you're even trying Akari." said Natsu as he started to tickle her, causing her to let out her little giggles that Natsu would never get tired of hearing. So for the next ten minutes Natsu went about making breakfast for Cana and Kagura, all the while trying to get Akari to say new words.

"What smells so good?" asked Kagura as she let out a yawn while rubbing her eyes to get rid of the sleep that collected in them.

"That would be the breakfast that Akari and I made for you two sleepy heads. Okay Akari say bottle for daddy." said Natsu with a smile as he then held up one of Akari's bottles in front of her.

"Ba!" chirped Akari as she tried to grab it from him.

"That's what you said when I asked how to try and wake them up without getting into trouble. Oh and help yourself to as much as you want Kagura, Akari and I have already eaten a few hours ago." stated Natsu as he could tell Kagura didn't know what to do.

"Okay Natsu and thanks." said Kagura quietly as she tugged on the hem of her night shirt.

"Would you like some toast with it as well, it'll only take a minute?" asked Natsu while already putting some bread into the toaster.

"Sure and you don't need to do all of this Natsu. You have Akari to take care of." said Kagura as she sat down at the table and helped herself to some bacon and eggs.

"I really don't mind Kagura, and Akari doesn't either since she's just happy to be along for the ride. Isn't that right daddy's little dragon?" asked Natsu as he put his face really close to Akari's.

"Dada!" cheered Akari as she grabbed his face while laughing.

"Wow Natsu this is delicious." said Kagura with a completely surprised facial expression.

"They're just some eggs and bacon." replied Natsu as he was getting Akari to let go of his face.

"They are but I was expecting them to…" said Kagura who stopped mid-sentence because she realized what she was about to say.

"HAHAHAHA, it's okay Kagura. You can say it, you didn't think I would be able to cook anything even if my life depended on it." said Natsu while chuckling.

"I wasn't going to say that." mumbled Kagura as she looked away from him.

"Okay maybe not those words exactly, but something similar to that. Most people think that I will burn everything to a crisp, which I actually do sometimes but that's only when I am cooking for myself and need to eat quick." stated Natsu with a kind smile directed towards Kagura, who he just now noticed that she wasn't wearing her usual outfit.

"So how did you learn to cook Natsu?" asked Kagura with a small smile as she went back to eating.

"You kind of have to when you are all on your own, which I assume you know all about. And it is actually probably why I don't mind eating things that are completely burned since that is how everything turned out when I was younger." said Natsu as he started to play with Akari using the dragon plushy that Clare gave her.

"Unfortunately I do Natsu, but for some reason I just thought that you wouldn't take the time to learn something like cooking." replied Kagura as she looked at Natsu playing with Akari.

"It kind of just happened, since there wasn't really a better alternative for me. Especially since I would have always been broke if I ate out all the time." said Natsu as he looked back at Kagura and took in her new appearance again. She was now only wearing a red t-shirt that stopped just above her waist, and the only other article of clothing was a pair of black short shorts.

"Natsu, what's wrong?" asked Kagura, since Natsu seemed to space off there for a few moments.

"Oh nothing, I just finally realized that you aren't wearing your usual clothing." stated Natsu with a faint blush since he zoned off there.

"Well that's because this is better to sleep in." explained Kagura nervously, thinking that Natsu didn't like it. Which was something that Kagura found herself caring about more than she thought she would since they were just friends.

"I can imagine, oh and it looks good on you Kagura. Especially when you smile, which I think you should do more often." said Natsu with a grin as he then went back to playing with Akari who was sucking on his scarf this whole time.

"Thanks Natsu." replied Kagura with a smile as a blush made its way to her cheeks.

"Why did you have to make such good smelling food and constantly be talking?" asked Cana as she came out of the bedroom in nothing but a bra and her panties.

"Because it's already after ten and if I didn't do this then you would have been in that bed all day." stated Natsu while not even looking up.

"Cana!" said Kagura in complete shock that she would walk around like that while Natsu was there.

"That was going to be my plan Natsu, and what Kagura?" asked Cana as she came over to the table and started to dish out food for herself.

"Your lack of clothes." whispered Kagura as she motioned at Cana's whole body.

"I have no idea what you're talking about Kagura, and she's right Natsu this food is great. The only thing that could make this any better would be a large mimosa." stated Cana with a sly grin spread across her lips.

"Well it's a good thing that I have that then, oh and some regular orange juice if either of you just wants that instead." replied Natsu as he went to the fridge and pulled out a pitcher that he set down in front of Cana.

"How in the world did you know that I was going to ask for something like this?" asked Cana who didn't even care that Natsu seemed to not notice her attire. All she wanted to know was how did someone like Natsu, who she rarely saw drink think of preparing mimosas for her breakfast that he also made for her.

"That would be because of you forcing me to listen to your lectures on what alcoholic drinks are best at certain times of the day. Oh and you also made me listen to a few on how to make such drinks and it would appear that some of it stuck with me." replied Natsu as he looked up at her and gave her a grin. His grin didn't last that long when he finally realized what Cana was wearing as he looked at her sitting at the table. Natsu only had a shocked look for a second, which then went to his normal face after realizing that this was just Cana and she pretty much only lost her pants from her usual outfit.

"I'm glad that some of it did Natsu." said Cana with a smile, but was a little disappointed by Natsu not making a bigger deal about how she was dressed. And she wasn't the only one that found Natsu's only slight shock at her attire surprising, since Kagura kept looking between them thinking something else was going to happen.

"So what plans do you two have for today?" asked Natsu while readjusting Akari on his right arm.

"I can see we are just going to pretend that she's actually wearing clothes." stated Kagura while gesturing at Cana who had a grin on her face for at least getting a reaction out of Kagura.

"She's usually walking around in a bikini most of the time so this isn't that much different in my eyes." explained Natsu while leaning against the kitchen counter.

"But she's not wearing pants." pointed out Kagura.

"Kagura I think you are forgetting that we have Grey in our guild who has a stripping habit. So things like this aren't anything to get all bent out of shape over, besides I can guarantee that I am much better on Natsu's eyes than Grey is." said Cana still grinning at her.

"You Fairy Tail wizards are maybe a little too close to each other." stated Kagura while shaking her head.

"I wouldn't say that around Erza, Kagura." said Natsu with a concerned look on his face.

"Why not?" inquired Kagura since she and Erza were really close.

"Because until recently she and Natsu were really close to each other and have been since they were kids. They used to even take baths with each other, isn't that right Natsu?" asked Cana with a sinister grin, knowing that she was right because she loved to tease him about this.

"Please don't remind me about that Cana." said Natsu as he shivered.

"You two have to be joking!" shouted Kagura looking at the two of them, as Akari started to laugh and clap her hands together.

"I wish we were." replied Natsu with a frown as he looked down at Akari who was enjoying all of this.

"When was the last time you two did you know?" asked Kagura nervously.

"You can just ask him Kagura, when was the last time that they bathed together. Or were you wondering the last time that they saw each other naked?" asked Cana who was like Akari and found all of this entertaining.

"I didn't ask that." denied Kagura as she glared at Cana who was unaffected by it.

"But you wanted to Kagura, so being the good friend that I am I decided to help you out." said Cana while chuckling at the embarrassed Kagura.

"Cana quit messing with her, and the answers to both of those Kagura are years ago when we were both still kids." said Natsu still not having his usual happy facial expression.

"Oh, okay." replied Kagura with a sigh of relief.

"So back to my question you to." said Natsu as he waited to hear what they had planned for the day.

"I have to go to that store I mentioned earlier, afterwards probably just browsing at other stores until you two are done with your interview." answered Cana.

"What about you Kagura?" asked Natsu as he looked at her.

"I'll probably tag along with Cana if that is okay with her." stated Kagura as she looked at Cana who was smiling at her.

"I would love that Kagura, we can get to know each other a little better during it." replied Cana.

"I would like that too." said Kagura.

"Sounds like you two have a good plan, but I really don't know how long this thing will last. So I think Akari and I will just come back here once we're done with the interview, since trying to meet somewhere else might be a little difficult." said Natsu with a little grin, glad to see that the two of them appeared to be getting along with each other.

"I couldn't imagine it taking more than a few hours." stated Cana while resting her chin on her hand in a thinking pose.

"Would it be okay if I cleaned up?" asked Kagura.

"Kagura you really don't need to ask for permission on those types of things. Try to think of this place as it being just as much of your place as it is anyone else's. Oh and we'll probably be leaving while you do that so we'll see you later then Kagura." said Natsu with a big smile.

"Okay Natsu and I'll see you two then." said Kagura with a faint smile as she left the room, not noticing that Natsu was checking her out while she left.

"What were you just looking at Natsu?" asked Cana with a sly grin on her face because she saw it all.

"I have no idea what you're talking about Cana." denied Natsu who was embarrassed that she caught him checking out Kagura's ass.

"There's nothing to be ashamed of Natsu, it's only natural that you would look at her ass. But it does kind of hurt my feelings that you would do that while I am right here in nothing but my underwear." said Cana with a fake hurt expression on her face.

"I thought that girls usually didn't want guys doing that, because then the guy is just another pervert?" asked Natsu with a confused look.

"That's true about most guys Natsu, but women dress the way we do to try and get the attention of the guys that we want looking at us like that." explained Cana.

"You girls are too complicated for me to understand." said Natsu while shaking his head.

"Well you better learn fast Natsu because Akari is a girl too. And she'll be just as hard to understand some times in the near future." pointed out Cana with a grin as Natsu looked down at Akari with a concerned look.

"You aren't going to be like the rest of them are you Akari?" asked Natsu, Akari just let out a happy little yelp while looking up at him with a big smile.

"That's right Akari, you're going to tell me what you mean because you know that I am not the best at seeing what girls are usually trying to refer to." said Natsu as he smiled down at his daughter.

"Dada!" said Akari happily while hugging her stuffed dragon.

"Keep dreaming Natsu, she will definitely tell you one thing but mean something completely different when she gets older." said Cana while getting up from the table.

"I still don't get that at all, why don't you girls just say what you mean? If you did that then there would hardly be any misunderstandings." asked Natsu.

"It's just a thing we do Natsu, and women aren't the only ones that do it either. Guys will do it just as much when it comes to their feelings and other things that they don't like talking about." answered Cana who then turned around and made her way to the doorway where she stopped and looked over her shoulder. She could instantly tell that Natsu was checking her ass out as she walked away and couldn't help but smile at the fact that she could get him to check her out that way.

"Natsu?" she asked still having her smile.

"Hey you were the one wanting me to look at you, or is this one of those times where you mean something completely different?" asked Natsu as his eyes slowly made their way up her body to see her smiling at him.

"HEHEHEHE, no Natsu this isn't one of those times. But it just as easily could have been so try and learn fast, because it will save you from a lot of pain later on in life." said Cana before she disappeared into the bedroom.

"Akari please don't prove her right, because I am already having enough trouble understanding women. And the last thing that I need is for you to become one of them that I don't understand." said Natsu as he held Akari with two hands right in front of his face.

"Dada?" asked Akari with a slightly confused expression.

"Never mind Akari, I know that you'll always let me know if there's something that I can do for you." said Natsu as he then went to grab his bag that had everything that Akari might need while they were out.

"Cana we're leaving." shouted Natsu making sure that she could hear him.

"Okay Natsu, we'll see you two later then." hollered Cana from the bed room as Natsu left their hotel room.

 **An hour and a half later in the waiting room of Sorcerer's Weekly:**

"Sorry for making you wait Natsu." said Jason as he came into the lobby with a smile.

"No problem at all Jason, we actually came early just to be on the safe side." replied Natsu as he got up from the chair.

"Hello there Akari, all of Fiore is going to want to hear about you." said Jason as he got as close to her as anyone would dare after remembering how protective Natsu was. Akari just looked at him with wide eyes as she continued to suck on Natsu's scarf while taking in all of her surroundings.

"She seems to be a little shy when we are at a new place with new people as well." stated Natsu with a caring smile on his face.

"I don't have a kid yet so I'll have to take your word on that Natsu. If you are ready we can go to my office and start this interview right away." replied Jason.

"Sounds good Jason, so lead the way please." said Natsu.

"Alright then follow me this way. So how was your trip here and I hope that you liked the room you were given?" asked Jason as he quickly looked over his left shoulder at Natsu.

"I think you guys spent way too many jewels on all of that, but the girls seemed to like both of them a lot." replied Natsu.

"I told my boss the same thing, but he said that he wasn't going to let you possibly back down from this because of a subpar room and train trip. So who made the trip out here with you Natsu?" asked Jason casually hoping that Natsu would speak candidly with him.

"I wouldn't back out of this over something as stupid as that, honestly that room probably is worth more than my entire house. And Kagura and Cana both decided to tag along for different reasons." answered Natsu as they made their way through some cubicles.

"What reasons where those?" asked Jason.

"Nothing too exciting, Cana wanted to come because she needed to go to a specific store here. And Kagura came along because it was on her way back to her guild and I think she wanted to spend more time with Akari." responded Natsu as he looked down at Akari who was looking at everything with wide eyes.

"That was awful nice of them to come along with you on that long trip." stated Jason as he couldn't help but smile at the fact that this was definitely not on the way to Mermaid Heel from Magnolia, and he was confident that Natsu didn't know this.

"They are both really good friends and were great company for the trip." said Natsu as they finally reached Jason's office. His office was fairly simple; on one side of the room was a large desk with papers all over it with a nice chair behind it. In the other side of the room were two comfy chairs facing each other with a little coffee table in between them.

"I would imagine that you have quite a few friends that would do almost anything for you Natsu." said Jason as he sat down in a chair and motioned for Natsu to do the same.

"I would like to think so, especially since I would do that for them also." replied Natsu as he readjusted Akari after sitting down.

"I expected for you to say as much Natsu. So where should we begin this interview Natsu?" asked Jason as he got out a voice recorder and a pad of paper to take notes on.

"That is up to you Jason, you know what you're actually doing while I on the other hand have never done this before." replied Natsu.

"Okay how about we get to some of your past before we talk about the main reason that we wanted this interview." suggested Jason with a small smile.

"That's fine with me Jason, but the guild advised me that I should get a few more jewels if I decided to give out information like that. And honestly I think that they are right, because you could do a complete story about each one of the big events by themselves." said Natsu with a serious face.

"I thought you were fine with what we agreed upon before?" asked Jason in shock.

"I was when it was only going to be about the last two months Jason. And as you know I am no longer active so I have to save as many jewels as possible when I can. This also means that if an opportunity comes around where I can get more I am going to take it." stated Natsu still not changing his facial expression.

"Okay how about doubling the amount?" asked Jason and got no response from Natsu.

"Triple the amount and that is all I can pay for this information Natsu." said Jason as he let out a sigh, hoping that Natsu would be fine with that.

"Then we have a deal Jason, so ask away." replied Natsu with his usual grin. So for the next two hours Jason asked Natsu about all of the big events in his past, excited to hear it from Natsu's side. Jason was surprised with the vivid details that Natsu described all of the fights that he had been in and what he had to do for them to come out on top. Also during this time Akari started to make noises and of course demand attention form Natsu, who was more than happy to give it to her. This let Jason see how good Natsu was with her and he honestly wouldn't have believed it if he wasn't seeing it happen right in front of him. One of the most well-known mages in Fiore for his destructive tendencies was a father now, and it seemed to fit him like a glove.

"Those were all very interesting when you hear them from your side." stated Jason as he watched Natsu play with Akari using the stuffed dragon.

"Well it's the truth Jason, and I wouldn't have cared it you thought they were boring." replied Natsu, causing Jason to chuckle at the fact that he knew Natsu was telling the truth this whole time.

"I don't doubt that at all Natsu. So how about we move onto the story that will shock all of Fiore once they read it?" asked Jason with a smile that he didn't think was going to leave his face as he continued to watch Natsu interact with Akari. Who was for some reason pouting and Natsu's response was to mimic her face right back at her.

"I'll tell you all that I can, but I will warn you right now that you won't be getting all of the answers that you want." replied Natsu while not looking up.

"I expected as much, so who is Akari's mother and where is she?" asked Jason who thought that he would get to the tough questions right away.

"I will not be telling you her name because I don't want the media harassing the little family she had left." replied Natsu with a frown.

"And why would that happen?" asked Jason who received a glare from Natsu.

"Because we both know that most of the media is a pack of vultures Jason. And they have already been through enough and want to be left alone after what happened." said Natsu as he looked down at Akari who had a sad face now just like him.

"What happened and you still haven't told me why she isn't helping you raise Akari?" asked Jason.

"She died in my arms Jason, which is why she can't help me raise Akari." said Natsu with his eyes cover by his bangs.

"I'm so sorry Natsu, I honestly had no idea." replied Jason who felt bad about this now.

"It's fine, but you can see why I don't really want to talk about this." said Natsu still not looking back at Jason.

"How did it happen?" asked Jason, who knew he had to ask even though he didn't want to see Natsu relive the experience.

"It was some sort of disease that I had never heard of and it wasn't treatable. So there wasn't anything that I could do to save her." replied Natsu in sad tone, which caused Akari to whimper.

"Shh it's okay Akari, daddy's here and he's not going anywhere." said Natsu in a loving tone as he tried to calm down Akari before she started to cry.

"Sorry to hear that Natsu." stated Jason not knowing what else to do right now.

"It's just the way of the world Jason, sometimes the good people are the ones that are taken away while the ones that haven't done anything good in their life stick around." said Natsu as he was rocking Akari back and forth.

"Isn't that the sad truth? Let's move onto hopefully a happier topic, how no one knew about you and Akari's mom being together?" asked Jason with a faint smile.

"Simple Jason, we kept it a secret for the whole time that we were together. Because we both knew that if it did get out we would be getting more attention than either of us wanted, all because people wouldn't believe that I could be in a relationship for some reason." answered Natsu.

"It is definitely going to be a shock to most of Fiore when all of this comes out Natsu. But I noticed that you said while you two were together, does that mean you two broke up?" asked Jason.

"Unfortunately we did, it was over a year ago when she told me that we should split up and she didn't want to see me for a while. I was honestly confused by all of this since I this was my first relationship, and I still loved her so I listened to her request. I regret that decision and wish that I didn't listen to her because I wasn't there for her when she needed me the most." said Natsu once again in a very sad tone.

"You were just trying to give her space Natsu, like she asked for." stated Jason.

"I know that Jason, but I didn't know that she was pregnant otherwise I would have never left her side." said Natsu in a deep and angry tone that caused Akari to start crying. So for the next ten minutes Natsu tried to calm himself and Akari down which he was finally able to do once he started to read to her and got her to fall asleep.

"Natsu I know you might not want to hear this, but I am pretty sure that she did all of that because she didn't want to force you to become a dad and give up being a mage. Which is what it sounded like you would have done if she did tell about all of this, since it also sounds like this wasn't planned." said Jason with a sad smile not knowing how he would take this.

"That's what she told me after I visited her when she called me over a month ago. It's also when I first learned about Akari, and I still think that was a terrible reason to not tell me about all of this. I mean who wouldn't want to be there for their own family." said Natsu while trying to not use an angry tone because he didn't want to wake up Akari.

"There are surprisingly a lot of men out there that would Natsu." replied Jason while shaking his head.

"Then they are all complete morons that don't deserve to be fathers." hissed Natsu, still trying to not wake up Akari.

"That's something we can both agree on Natsu, so how about you tell me a little about Akari's mother? Because I know that all of Fiore will want to know about who was able to capture the eye of the Salamander." said Jason with a little grin.

"She was one of a kind Jason that I was lucky to even be noticed by her. She was kind and caring, and could somehow put up with all of my oddities. Actually she said that those things were what made her even notice me and eventually got her to love me. Her sense of humor was like mine, which is pretty childish form what I have been told." said Natsu with a faint smile.

"She seems to have been an incredible woman." stated Jason.

"She truly was Jason; she didn't leave this world until she knew that Akari would be taken care of. Which shows how strong she truly was and it was another thing that I admired about her. She wouldn't let anyone tell her that she couldn't do something and wouldn't sit by when she saw something that she didn't agree with. She would try to help in any way that she could." continued Natsu.

"Could you give a little description of her looks Natsu?" asked Jason trying to get as much information out of Natsu as possible.

"I would have to describe her as your average female; I of course thought that she was beautiful. Her figure like I said before was average but one of the things I liked about the most was her dark hair that went past her shoulders. Or when she smiled it would light up the whole room and make everyone else want to join in. She also had the most beautiful eyes just like Akari, that I could gaze into for hours." said Natsu as he smiled down at Akari who was peacefully asleep in his arms.

"She sounds beautiful." stated Jason and wondered how Natsu could still smile after such a great loss. But then realized that the reason was right there in his arms, making him continue on, if not for himself then for the little girl that was now his responsibility.

"She was." replied Natsu as he adjusted his scarf that was wrapped around Akari.

"So that is where your scarf is." said Jason with a little grin.

"Yep, she seems to love it just as much as me when I was little." stated Natsu with a grin.

"Where did you get that scarf Natsu, I know that it's one of your most prized possessions but I still don't know the origin of it?" asked Jason as he wrote a few things down on his note pad.

"It was the only thing that Igneel gave me before he felt me all those years ago. And it has never really been out of my possession until Akari came along. It calms her down for some reason, so it now has become hers since she needs it more than I do." responded Natsu still having a grin on his face.

"So it's moved on to the next generation of Dragneel, that kind of makes it a family heirloom." stated Jason while giving Natsu a small smile.

"I guess it kind of does, and hopefully it will protect her as much as it did for me all of these years." replied Natsu.

"So what are your plans for the future Natsu?" asked Jason, deciding that he should get onto his main questions again.

"I am going to focus on raising Akari of course." answered Natsu.

"So does that mean you aren't going to be an active mage of Fairy Tail, and if so for how long?" asked Jason while leaning forward.

"That it does Jason, and as for how long that will probably be for, I would at least say a year." said Natsu as he looked up at the ceiling in thought.

"So what has been the hardest thing for you to do as this new role of father?" asked Jason with a little grin.

"Honestly I have enjoyed all of it, which a lot will find hard to believe. Especially those that have actually had children, but they of course know the joy that you get from raising your own child. I can only assume that this is how Igneel was able to put up with an annoying brat like me, who was always getting into trouble. But if you want to know what the worst part of it is for me, that would be changing her dippers since my nose is better than most it makes that job so much worse." said Natsu with a sad smile when he talked about Igneel.

"What about the sleepless nights?" asked Jason.

"Yea those can be a real pain but thanks to all of the members of Fairy Tail that stop by each day to offer their help and just so see Akari. We are both kept pretty busy and so when night comes around she usually sleeps for most of it." answered Natsu while looking down at Akari, knowing that this was probably going to be a sleepless night for him.

"So I take it that tonight isn't going to be one of those night for you is it?" asked Jason with a grin as he looked at the sleeping Akari.

"Probably not, but she might surprise me and want to get a lot of sleep." said Natsu.

"So what do your days now usually consist of?" asked Jason.

"It pretty much revolves around Akari and making sure that she is happy and healthy. Which means giving her a lot of bottles of milk and reading her a lot of books that Levy has been constantly buying for us." replied Natsu realizing that he needed to thank Levy again for doing that.

"Sorry Natsu but it's really hard to believe that one of Fiore's most destructive mages could transition to that and be completely okay with it." stated Jason.

"Hey I was just as surprised as you are Jason, but I can honestly say that this last month has been some of the best days in my life. And I couldn't imagine my life without her now." said Natsu as he smiled at his daughter who was starting to move around in his arms.

"I already know that you aren't going to want to talk about this, but I still have to ask you. Natsu you know that since you have made a lot of enemies over your years as a mage, aren't you concerned about being able to keep Akari protected?" asked Jason, who was trying to get himself ready for whatever Natsu might throw at him.

"I am of course concerned about her safety and it angers me that because of my previous life someone might try and come after her. All in the foolish attempt to get back at me for something that they definitely deserved to get because of the poor choices that they made." replied Natsu with a slight growl.

"So what are you planning to do about this possible situation?" asked Jason.

"The first person or group that even tries to touch Akari will not be doing anything like that ever again." stated Natsu with a glare directed at Jason.

"Are you saying that you would kill them?" asked Jason startled by Natsu's response.

"I didn't say that Jason, but it could easily happen if they force my hand or just piss me off. Let me make this clear, everyone that has fought me before now should be warned that I won't be holding back. The one thing you never want to do is go after a dragon's hatchling, because then you will feel the full wrath of a dragon." stated Natsu as he continued to glare at Jason.

"You do know that Fairy Tail doesn't condone such things, even if you were protecting someone." stated Jason.

"Yes I do Jason, and honestly I wouldn't care if they kick me out since I know that because of doing that Akari is safer. There is literally nothing I wouldn't do to protect her, so let this be a warning to anyone dumb enough to try anything that might endanger her." stated Natsu with absolute certainty.

"Okay, I will make sure to put that in there. How about we move onto some happier questions?" asked Jason not wanting to ask any of the other questions that related to Akari getting hurt or taken away from him.

"That sounds like a good idea." said Natsu with a faint smile. So for the next hour they talked about all sorts of things, such as Akari's favorite story and some of Natsu's favorite things to do with her. They also talked about what he hoped for her to be when she grew up and other things that people might find interesting to learn about Natsu and Akari.

"Thanks again for doing this interview Natsu." said Jason as he opened the door for them.

"Like you said yesterday Jason, this was bound to get out sooner or later. And now that I have done this at least the rumors shouldn't be too bad." replied Natsu while holding the bottle that Akari was drinking out of.

"I still appreciate that you did this when you didn't have to." stated Jason.

"Oh good you haven't left yet Salamander." said an elderly man, cutting off Natsu before he could respond to Jason.

"I was just about to, but I assume you want to ask me something." said Natsu looking at the man.

"Considering that you were going to leave I can assume that Jason didn't talk to you about taking a few pictures for the article." replied the man as he glared at Jason.

"No Jason didn't, but I made it very clear yesterday that I wasn't going to allow that unless you wanted to find a new building that isn't a pile of ashes." said Natsu as he gave the old man a glare of his own.

"Jason did mention that to me, but I just wanted to see if you would reconsider. Since I can't see what harm a picture of her could have, when just knowing that she exists is going to be your main problem." pointed out the elderly man.

"I can only assume that you are Jason's boss?" asked Natsu as he studied the man.

"Yes I am Salamander, and Jason has already told me that we won't be publishing this article until the last second possible. All so that we don't possibly cause either of you two more trouble than required. Now I am fine with this since we have an actual interview with you, but I could absolutely guarantee that it won't be published until at least a month. So long as we got a picture of you two to put with the article." said Jason's boss with a sly grin.

"Is that supposed to be some sort of threat?" asked Natsu with a growl that caused the man to take a step back.

"Oh no not at all Salamander, it is just a promise for us to not publish it until a month from now. And did I forgot to mention that if you did this we would pay you four times what you are getting now." said the elderly man nervously. Because he knew exactly what Natsu was capable of, and had been informed by Jason that when dealing with Akari. All of his previous things that he's done would look like child's play with what he would do to keep her safe.

"We are already paying him three hundred thousand jewels." stated Jason, wanting to make sure that his boss knew what he promised Natsu.

"So I would get one million and two hundred thousand jewels if we took a few pictures?" asked Natsu with an expressionless face.

"Yes you would." replied the elderly man that was now regretting that he said four times what Natsu was already getting paid.

"Then lead the way Sir, and if you could have the jewels ready for when we leave that would be appreciated." said Natsu with a little grin. Since he realized that Jason's boss was correct about the existence of Akari getting out was actually the real problem. And if taking a few pictures could get him quite a few more jewels, they might as well do it since it would also mean that the article won't be published for another month at least.

"Right this way Salamander." said the elderly man with a bright smile since this could have turned out very bad for him. But it didn't go that way; it went almost as good as it possibly could have gone. The only way that it could have gone better is if they didn't have to pay Natsu that much, but he knew that it was well worth it since they would be the only ones with an actual interview with Natsu and good photos of the little family.

 **One hour later in the lobby:**

"Thanks again Salamander." said Jason's boss as he stopped with Natsu in the lobby.

"You really don't have to thank me so much since you are actually paying us for doing all of this." stated Natsu who was growing tired of him saying that to him over and over again.

"True but I still appreciate it." replied the man who then shook Natsu's left hand since his other one was holding Akari.

"I will wait to see how all of it turns out, and I can guarantee that everyone in Fairy Tail will probably buy a copy too." said Natsu with a grin.

"They won't be the only ones Salamander, well I have other work to attend to so Goodbye." said the man with a smile and then turned around and headed down a hallway.

"Goodbye." replied Natsu as he then turned towards the exit.

"Natsu Dragneel?" asked someone right before Natsu reached the doors. This caused him to stop and turn around to see who called out his name, and was surprised to see who it was. There in the lobby with him was none other than Minerva Orando, one of the top mages at Sabretooth.

"Hello Minerva, I didn't expect to run into you here." stated Natsu wondering what she wanted with him.

"I should be the one saying that Natsu, considering it is well known that the Salamander doesn't do interviews. But that can all wait until after you explain to me what you are doing with that." said Minerva while pointing to Akari who had a smile on her face while looking back at Minerva.

"First off don't ever refer to Akari as that. And she is my daughter, which is why I am doing an interview with Sorcerer's Weekly." replied Natsu glaring at Minerva at the beginning. But it turned to his usual happy face towards the end of his comment.

"I'd heard rumors but I just thought that they were only that." said Minerva in a shocked tone that was rarely heard from her.

"Nope, those ones are true. As for the other ones that don't pertain to Akari they are probably all lies." stated Natsu as he got out of the door way in case someone else wanted to use it.

"I don't know about that Natsu, they do say that here is always some nugget of truth in every rumor." said Minerva with a sly grin.

"I have no idea it that's true. So what are you doing here Minerva?" asked Natsu as he looked around to see if any of the other members of Sabretooth were around.

"Answering a few questions on behalf of Sting, since he was too busy to come here and answer them himself." answered Minerva as she inspected the baby that Natsu was holding that kept smiling at her.

"Why didn't they just go and speak with Sting at your guild?" asked Natsu with a confused expression on his face.

"They easily could have Natsu, but this way I could have a little vacation all to myself and charge it to the guild." replied Minerva with a smirk.

"I could see why you might want to do that if you were staying at the hotel I am at right now. I wouldn't be able to pay for it if Sorcerer's Weekly didn't give it to me for free." stated Natsu while shaking his head at how much he could only assume it would cost to stay there.

"I think that we might be staying at the same place then Natsu." said Minerva as she couldn't help but smile at the expression Natsu was now making at her after hearing this.

"You are joking right? Master Makarov would kill me if I charged that to the guild, it probably costs more than what he has to pay for what I usually destroy on a job." said Natsu loudly while flailing his left arm around.

"It's not that expensive Natsu." said Minerva still having a slight smile.

"I know but it's close." protested Natsu.

"Natsu is something wrong with her?" asked Minerva as she pointed at Akari who was still smiling at her.

"Why would you think that Minerva?" asked Natsu in a very concerned tone as he quickly started to inspect Akari for any problems.

"Because she keeps smiling at me." stated Minerva as she starred at the baby who was still watching her with a smile as Natsu inspected her.

"Oh, is that all Minerva? You got me really concerned there for a second." said Natsu while letting out a sigh of relief.

"Natsu I don't think that's normal for a baby." pointed out Minerva.

"That might be true, but Akari is anything but normal isn't that right my little dragon. And it probably just means that she likes you Minvera." said Natsu as he poked Akari's tummy and gave Minerva one of his usual grins.

"Why would she like me, she hasn't even met me before?" asked Minerva who wasn't expecting that answer to come from Natsu.

"I don't know, but when she makes up her mind she sticks with it. Well we're going to be heading back to the hotel right now, if you want you can come along and we can continue to chat." said Natsu as he made his way to the doors.

"I was planning on heading there anyways so might as well come along." stated Minerva as she followed them and caught up with Natsu.

"So how's everyone else doing at Sabretooth?" asked Natsu giving Minerva a quick glance.

"They're all doing fine, but I know they are going to freak when I tell them the rumors about you are true." replied Minerva with a sly grin.

"Is there any way you could possibly hold off on telling them that Minerva?" asked Natsu while he adjusted Akari who was still looking at Minerva.

"And why would I do that Natsu?" asked Minerva still having that sly grin.

"Because I would really appreciate it since I don't want Akari to be in any danger because of me and my past. Which I know is bound to happen, I would just like to postpone it as long as possible." replied Natsu with a sad smile.

"I didn't even think about that Natsu, I'm sorry and you don't need to worry about me telling anyone else." said Minerva with a faint smile. Now wondering what it would have been like to have a father like Natsu rather than the Jiemma, who only saw her as another tool that could be used to increase his own position in life.

"Thanks Minerva I owe you one." said Natsu with a genuine smile making an appearance on his face.

"Dada" said Akari, getting both of their attention.

"What is it Akari?" asked Natsu in a caring tone. Wondering why Akari said dada like that when she usually says it while giggling or laughing. Akari then started to reach out with one hand to Minerva, while still holding onto Natsu with the other. This of course surprised Natsu since she had never done anything like this before, and it was at least pretty obvious to him what Akari wanted right now.

"What does she want Natsu?" asked Minerva, wondering why Natsu had a really surprised expression on his face.

"I am pretty sure she wants you to hold her Minerva." stated Natsu nervously since he knew Minerva wasn't like most girls.

"What?" asked Minerva as they both came to a complete stop.

"Akari wants you to hold her, she must really like you because she has never done this before." replied Natsu with a little grin as Akari continued to reach for Minerva and was starting to get upset.

"Dada!" said Akari in an angry tone.

"I don't think that would be a good idea Natsu. I have never held one before and what if I do something wrong?" asked Minerva who had never been in a situation like this before.

"Don't worry Minerva it was the same for me when I first met Akari, besides I will be right here if something doesn't go right." responded Natsu as he got closer to her. Ready to hand Akari over if Minerva was okay with this, which it was really hard to tell if she would be.

"Yea but you're you Natsu and I have never been good at this sort of thing." stated Minerva who was a little nervous at the prospect of holding Akari.

"You'll be fine Minerva, and if you want you can give her back to me before we even get back to the hotel." suggested Natsu.

"Okay but if anything goes wrong none of this was my idea, it was the two of you that wanted to do this." stated Minerva who was still thinking that something terrible would happen if she held the little girl.

"Will do Minerva, but Akari seems to really want you to hold her." said Natsu as he passed Akari over to Minerva. Akari was no longer grumpy as Natsu did this, while Minerva on the other hand wasn't as thrilled and held Akari out at an arm's length.

"HAHAHAHA, Minerva she isn't going to bite." teased Natsu as Minerva was still holding Akari as if she was a little bomb that might go off.

"I told you that I have never done this before." said Minerva as she gave Natsu a glare that caused Akari to start clapping.

"It's fine Minerva and look at that, Akari really likes you. So just bring her to your chest and you and Akari will figure out the best way to hold her." said Natsu with a smile as he continued to watch the two of them.

"Okay Natsu, but if she throws up on this dress you're buying me a new one." said Minerva while continuing to glare at Natsu and bringing Akari closer to her. And just like Natsu said, they both seemed to figure out what was the ideal spot for her to be in. This happened to be pretty much the same way that Natsu always held her, with her on the right side clinging onto anything her little hands could grab.

"See you're a natural." stated Natsu as he watched a warm smile make its way across Minerva's features.

"Do you really think so?" asked Minerva still smiling as she looked up at him.

"Definitely, especially since Akari doesn't actually like a few of the girls at Fairy Tail. But she seems to really like you Minerva." said Natsu as he looked at Akari who was resting her head on Minerva's shoulder and looked like she was about to go to sleep.

"I don't know why that would be, but she is extremely cute." stated Minerva still having a smile on her face. So they continued their trip to the hotel catching up on what's happened to each other since the last time they met each other. The whole time Minerva had that warm smile on her face as she held Akari the whole time, even all the way up to the top floor where they both were staying.

"It was great catching up with you Minerva." said Natsu as he took Akari back from her.

"It really was." replied Minerva as she lost her smile since she was no longer holding Akari.

"Well Minerva, we're going to be here for the next two days so feel free to stop by whenever you want." said Natsu with his usual grin.

"I might just have to take you up on that Natsu." said Minerva as the smile returned to her face.

"Well you know where were staying so drop by whenever you want, goodbye Minerva." said Natsu as he opened the door to his room.

"Goodbye Natsu and Akari, until we meet again." said Minerva who then headed to her room.

 **End of Chapter:**

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Thanks for reading and I hope that you enjoyed it. So Minerva has finally made her appearance even though it was pretty small, but hey this is something that is completely new for her. So I am probably going to have another chapter of them being in Crocus so Minerva can have some more interactions with Natsu and Akari. I have a few Ideas of what can happen but I would love to hear what you guys would like to read about which could help make this story better. So as always feel free to leave a review and I will try to get back to you as soon as possible.**

 **Until the next Chapter**

 **Digem Out!**


	10. An Evening with a Tigress

Ch 10: An Evening with a Tigress

 **Natsu's hotel room:**

"Cana, Kagura is anybody here?" asked Natsu as he closed the door and dropped his satchel to the floor. And judging from the lack of response, he knew that the place was empty except for him and Akari's for a little while at least.

"So what do you want to do now my little dragon?" he asked while looking at his daughter. Who let out a happy little yelp while smiling back at him.

"You really like doing that don't you Akari; I can already tell you're going to be a handful for me for the rest of my life. And I wouldn't have it any other way, because that is how I was and look at all the fun I have had." Natsu said with a caring smile that he now had on his face most of the time.

"Mama." said Akari as she looked around for any of the girls.

"Sorry Akari but Kagura and Cana aren't here right now. And I really want to know why you decided to start calling both of them that." said Natsu with a warm smile.

"Mama!" replied Akari with a sad expression as she continued to look for any of the girls.

"Hey it's okay honey, they'll be back soon they're just out shopping right now. But you really do like having them around don't you; I might have to actually start looking into finding a mate again. And like I told the girls before, she's going to have to accept both of us for who we are, otherwise I'm not going to waste our time." said Natsu causing Akari to give him a smile.

"Ba!" cheered Akari happily.

"You definitely have my appetite too, but everyone knows that even little dragons need a lot of food to get big and strong." said Natsu while tickling Akari's little tummy while heading towards the little kitchen. All the while she was giggling up a storm because of her father. Once there he went about preparing two bottles for her since he knew she was going to want both of them if not more.

"Can you say bottle Akari?" asked Natsu with a smile.

"Baba!" cheered Akari as she reached out for the bottle that was just out of reach.

"Close enough I guess, here you go." he replied as he started to feed her one of the bottles. And for the next few minutes Natsu feed her while sitting on the sofa thinking about how just a few months ago he would have never thought he would be doing something like this. But life is funny like that, one moment you think you know where it's heading for it to actually take you a completely different direction.

"Do you want more?" he asked with a slight grin, to only get another happy yelp out of her.

"So what do you want to do while we wait for the girls?" Natsu asked with a loving smile on his face. This was another of his usual facial expression since he had gotten Akari, and unlike the smiles that he had while at the guild months before. These smiles now were genuine and it was all because of his little dragon that became his new purpose in life. Akari's response to Natsu was to start babbling while happily sucking on his scarf like she usually did.

"Good choice Akari, getting a little rest doesn't sound like a bad idea to me either." he replied as he leaned back into the sofa. But it would seem that he wasn't going to be getting that rest thanks to someone knocking on his door.

"Who could that be?" he asked while going to the door and opening it.

"Hello again Natsu." said Minerva in a tone that Natsu couldn't recognize since she would be the last person he would ever think of being nervous. But that is exactly what she was feeling right now, because this was something she never thought she would ever be doing.

"Hi Minerva, we didn't expect to see you again so soon." stated Natsu with a warm smile.

"I didn't either, but if you two are busy I can come back later." she replied while looking away from Natsu, not wanting him to figure out how embarrassed she was by all of this.

"We're not busy at all and we don't have anything to do since Kagura and Cana aren't back yet. So why don't you come on in and make yourself at home." he said while moving out of the doorway for her.

"Thanks Natsu and I didn't know that those two were with you." said Minerva as she came into the room. Akari made another little yelp, getting both of the adults' attention, only to see her happily smiling back at them with Natsu's scarf still in her mouth. Causing Natsu to wonder how she was able to make that sound and still have his scarf in her mouth, but decided that it didn't really matter.

"They both decided to tag along since this whole thing was on the house and they decided to go shopping while I talked with Jason. So what do we owe the pleasure of this visit to Minerva?" asked Natsu as he sat back down on the sofa with Minerva taking the spot on the other end.

"Since when did you start talking like that Natsu? The old you would have asked something along the lines of why in the world are you here Minerva." Minerva stated with a little smirk. Glad that this was more of what she was used to doing, but knew that it wasn't going to last that long since he was still going to ask her why she stopped by.

"I started to read to my little dragon here, which has apparently changed the way I talk now. And I am actually surprised at some of the content that they will actually put into a children's book. But then again that is one of the major ways kids learn how to talk, and they might be actually made for the parents reading them." he answered while scratching his chin in thought with his left hand.

"I will have to trust you on that Natsu, but I do think it's nice that you won't sound like jerk when you don't mean to be anymore." she said while looking at Akari who was still happily sucking on his scarf.

"What do you mean about me sounding like a jerk when I don't mean to be?" he asked her with an eyebrow raised.

"Well just like I said in my previous example of how you would have asked me why I was here. That would have come off as you wanting an answer right away and overall it isn't the nicest way of greeting someone. Even though most of us know that it's just the way you talk, or should I actually say was the way you talked?" she explained with a sly smirk.

"That would definitely explain why some people probably got mad at me before we even started to talk. And I definitely think you should go with how I used to talk, because there is no way I am going to let my little dragon make the same mistakes like her old man." replied Natsu as he blew into Akari's face causing her to scrunch up her face in a way that Natsu found really cute.

"Dada!" said Akari as she looked up at him, only for him to blow in her face again and continue to smile down at her as she made the same facial expression again.

"Dada!" she said again while making an upset face at him.

"HAHAHAHA, sorry honey but you're just too cute when you make that face at me." he said while still smiling at her, which she soon reciprocated while going back to making other baby noises while holding onto his scarf.

"Who would have thought that you would be such a natural at being a father." said Minerva with a warm smile on her face after watching Natsu and Akari interacting with each other.

"The answer to that is pretty much no one, but just like with everything else that I do in life. I am just going to prove them all that they were dead wrong and be the best father that Akari could ever ask for." he replied while he adjusted Akari to be in a better position.

"Sounds like a very Natsu like thing to say. So who's the lucky lady that tamed the famous Salamander?" she asked while giving him a sly grin.

"Thanks and Akari is the person responsible for me no longer causing chaos across Fiore." he replied with a smirk.

"I was talking about who's the lucky lady that made this cute little thing with you Natsu." she stated while rolling her eyes at him. Only Natsu wouldn't understand what she was trying to get at.

"Oh that's what you meant, she's no longer with us." replied Natsu with a frown since he couldn't help but remember the day he got Akari. It was somehow one of the best days in his life while also being one of the worst because of what he witnessed and wasn't able to prevent.

"Oh I didn't know Natsu, I am so sorry. But I bet you can get her back." Minerva said with a kind smile. She wanted to help Natsu out since Fairy Tail really helped her out during that whole Tartaros fiasco, and it also just looked wrong with him not smiling like he usually is no matter the circumstance.

"It's fine Minerva, and I can't do that since she died." he said still with a frown.

"Dada?" asked Akari with a sad expression on her little face as she looked up at him.

"It's okay Akari; daddy was just remembering some bad things. But don't worry we're going to be alright and keep moving forward like strong dragons would do in a situation like this. Just like she would have wanted and we'll live our lives to the fullest." said Natsu with a big smile as his daughter started to smile back at him.

"Nana!" cheered Akari with a big smile.

"I think she just tried to say your name Natsu." stated Minerva with a sad smile. She knew how hard it could be for a girl to grow up without a mother since that is what she did. But unlike her, Akari had a father that loved her more than anything else in the world. At least from what she could tell so far and from what she knew of the dragon slayer it wasn't going to be something that ever changed.

"Do you really think so?" he asked excitedly as he turned to her.

"Yes I do Natsu and she's got the first part of it so far." she said with an actual smile as Akari continued to say nana over and over again. And she continued to giggle at herself and Natsu's happy smile that was directed at her as she kept saying it over and over again.

"Wait a minute that isn't right, you're supposed to call me daddy." said Natsu with a big grin.

"Nana!" cheered Akari as she grabbed both of his cheeks while having a big smile.

"Daddy." he stated still smiling at her.

"Nana!" she happily said again.

"She's just as stubborn as you, which is impressive since she's so young." said Minerva with a warm smile as she watched them.

"I know, and people are already telling me that it's only going to get worse. Especially when she's a teenager, which I am hoping they are all wrong about. Okay Akari can you please go back to calling me daddy?" asked Natsu still having a smile on his face.

"Nana!" cheered Akari, which caused Minerva to actually start giggling at the two. Natsu would have commented on this since he didn't know she was even capable of doing that, but he had more important things to deal with. And that would be making sure that his daughter doesn't start calling him by his first name, which would be a catastrophe in his opinion.

"Okay honey, you've had your fun." Natsu said now no longer smiling at her.

"Nana!" she cheered once again.

"Daddy." he stated still not smiling at her like he usually is.

"Nana." she replied with a confused face.

"Nope, you need to call me daddy Akari." he said.

"Nana?" asked Akari with a sad expression, and Natsu only shook his head at her.

"Come on Natsu, she's only having fun." stated Minerva who couldn't help but stick up for the little girl that looked like she might cry any minute now.

"You said it yourself Minerva, she's just as stubborn as me. So I won't let her start calling me by my first name, because then she'll never go back to calling me her dad. Did you hear that Akari, no more of this nana business?" he stated while still not smiling at her.

"Nana?" asked Akari as her bottom lip started to quiver and was seconds away from crying. His response to this was to only shake his head at her while still not smiling at her.

"Natsu!" hissed Minerva, not believing that he would actually let his daughter cry over something as silly as her calling him nana. But she was shocked when Akari cried out "Dada!" to him while burying her face into his chest, only for him to start smiling at her while he went about calming her down.

"Shh it's okay Akari, daddy's always going to be there for you. Even if you don't want him around anymore, he'll always be there looking out for you and making sure that you're safe and happy. There is nothing that I wouldn't do for you, so please stop crying." said Natsu as he rocked her back and forth.

"Dada?" asked Akari looking back up at him. Only for her to see him smiling down at her like he usually did, which instantly caused her to stop crying and smile right back at him.

"That's my little dragon." he stated proudly as she hugged him while still smiling.

"You two really do love each other." stated Minerva.

"Of course we do Minerva, and there is absolutely nothing that she could do to get me to stop loving her." he replied as he looked at her with his usual grin.

"Nana?" asked Akari with a facial expression that Minerva could only describe as Natsu's grin, which was incredibly cute when Akari's little face was doing it. Of course after hearing this Natsu instantly lost his own grin while Minerva on the other hand couldn't stop herself from giggling at the two.

"Both of you are finding this extremely funny, aren't you?" asked Natsu while looking between the two girls. Akari continued to grin at him while Minerva tried to control her fit of giggles.

"Of course we do Natsu, and that right there proves she's just like her father. Who once he finds out about something that annoys someone, he just can't help but see how far he can take it." she replied after she got control of herself again.

"I don't do that." he argued.

"Natsu." said Minerva as she looked at him with a serious expression, that just so happened to look like it was almost a glare.

"Fine, but I don't do that anymore then. Oh and why did you stop by Minerva, you still haven't told me that yet?" asked Natsu as he started to use a dragon plushy and play with Akari with it.

"Oh that, well I just decided to stop by since I didn't have anything else to do and wondered if you two wanted to go see the town with me." replied Minerva, trying to pretend that she wasn't nervous about asking him this. But after spending the last few minutes with Natsu and Akari, she felt that feeling that way around them was foolish since he was possibly even kinder now than he was before.

"Do you want to go and see the city with Minerva?" he asked while grinning at his daughter who replied with a happy yelp. This caused Natsu's grin turn into a warm smile as he got up off of the sofa.

"We could just stay here Natsu, if that would make things easier for the two of you." said Minerva as she too got up off of the sofa.

"What are you talking about Minerva, Akari and I would love to tour the town with you. I just need to pack a few things and do a few quick things before we head out. And I could do those things a lot faster if you held Akari for a little bit." replied Natsu as he grinned at Minerva, whose eyes lit up ever so slightly at the prospect of holding Akari.

"I guess I could do that for you." she replied with a small smile as he handed Akari over to her.

"It'll just be a few minutes and then we'll be off." he said before he left the two alone with each other.

"You are just too cute Akari." she said while smiling down at her as she happily sucked on Natsu's scarf that was always with her.

"I'm going to tell you right now that it's going to be hard growing up without a mom Akari. But luckily your dad is going to do everything he can to make it up to you, because that is just who he is. And you honestly couldn't have asked for a more loving father. Granted he might not be the smartest guy out there, but I have never known someone who is more caring and willing to do anything for those that he cares for. And you little lady are the one that he cares for the most now, so I can guarantee that you'll have a better childhood than I did. Since our situations are pretty similar, except for your dad would never see you as a tool that he could use to obtain more power." said Minerva as she smiled warmly at the little girl in her arms.

"Dada?" asked Akari.

"Yep honey, that is exactly who I am talking about. You're pretty darn intelligent for just being a baby, or I could just be assuming that you understand me when you aren't actually. Doesn't really matter since you'll soon find all of this out for yourself since your daddy isn't going to change from his caring and loving personality." she replied, knowing that this was an odd thing to be saying to Akari.

"Mama?" asked Akari as she was looking directly into Minerva's eyes. Who upon hearing this completely froze and didn't know how to react to this at all. So she did the only thing that she could think of doing in a situation like this and that was to pretend that it didn't just happen. Well that is what she was hoping to do, but Akari had other plans.

"Mama." said Akari with a big smile as she nuzzled into Minerva and closed her eyes.

"Sorry about that Minerva, I don't know what's gotten into her. But lately she seems to like saying that to girls that she really likes, so we're assuming that's her way of saying woman or something like that." said Natsu while rubbing the back of his head with a sheepish grin on his face.

"Oh I didn't know if she was accidentally mistaking me for her mom." replied Minerva as she looked over at Natsu with a sad smile.

"I guess she could be doing that." he replied as he slung his satchel over his shoulder.

"How can you not know that Natsu?" she asked while watching him intently.

"I couldn't tell you what goes through that little mind of hers." he said while starting to panic on the inside, since he could tell that this could easily become a big problem.

"Well the easiest way to know would be to compare me to her mother." stated Minerva as she followed Natsu to the door.

Natsu's mind was in overdrive right now, he didn't get to know the features of Akari's mother that well. Mainly since she was barely alive and was trying to save her family when he arrived and he was more concerned about helping her do that, than taking in her features. The only thing that he could remember were her eyes, which Akari definitely got from her but other than that he was completely clueless about her appearance. Natsu quickly tried to think of why Akari might have called Minerva mama, which then also led to him wondering why the other two girls were called the same thing. They were all definitely very attractive women that had very similar bodies, which they all obtained from training regularly and doing jobs at their respective guilds. Their hair colors were also all dark colors, which only added to the similarities that they shared with each other just like being strong mages in their own rights. So after realizing all of this Natsu realized why his daughter seemed to like these three women more than anyone else so far. And that was because they all reminded her of her mother, a woman who did everything that she could to ensure that Akari would be looked after and loved.

"Natsu, you were spacing out there for a bit. You don't need to answer that if you don't want to, I was only curious." she said in a slightly nervous tone that went unnoticed by Natsu.

"Sorry Minerva and I really don't mind it at all I just got caught up in my thoughts there for a little bit." replied Natsu with a chuckle.

"So, do we share any similarities?" asked Minerva as they entered the elevator.

"Actually now that I am thinking about it you do, which is probably why she called you that." he said with a slight smile.

"And what would those similarities be Natsu?" asked Minerva with a sly grin since she was curious about the woman that got Natsu's attention and proceeded to have a kid with him.

"Well for starters you are beautiful like she was, and have the overall same figure as she did. You are also a strong woman even without your magic, which is another thing you would have had in common with her. And probably the thing that I think Akari is noticing the most, would be you having dark hair since her mother had that too." he answered while grinning at her, happy that he was able to not get caught by her in a lie.

"I don't know what to say Natsu, I didn't know you thought that about me." she stated while hiding the small blush that she had. Since she never really had anyone say such nice things about her, most men were too afraid of her to even talk to her.

"It's the truth Minerva so you don't need to really say anything back. I'm just glad that we get to spend some time together since Akari really seems to like you, she is surprisingly picky about who she lets hold her without me being right there and still touching her." replied Natsu as he smiled at his daughter who was asleep in Minerva's arms with her head on Minerva's shoulder.

"Thanks Natsu, so who else can hold her without you being there?" asked Minerva as her blush remained, but went unnoticed by Natsu since he was focused on Akari.

"All of the other dragon slayers can hold her, which I am assuming is due to their magic being almost identical to mine. Other than them it would just be Kagura and Cana, who she also mistook for her mom yesterday while on the train here." he answered as he watched Akari shift a little in her sleep.

"That's really not that many people, I feel special to be part of such a small group." she said with a smile, while feeling a little bit upset about not being the only one mistaken for Akari's mom. But that is something that she could sort out later, because right now she was going to get to spend the rest of the day with Natsu and her. And wanted to make the most out of it since Natsu treated her like a normal person, and wasn't afraid to say what he thought about pretty much anything even if it did get him into trouble sometimes.

"So where do you want to go to first?" he asked as they exited the elevator.

"Let's just see where the day takes us." she replied with a sly grin.

"I like the sound of that." he said with his usual grin as he held the door open for them as they exited the hotel.

 **With Cana and Kagura:**

"Cana why didn't we just wait for him at the hotel?" asked Kagura as they walked down a street that was fairly crowded.

"I don't plan on spending all day in that hotel room waiting for him when we know where he's at right now." stated Cana.

"You seemed like you were fine with that idea this morning when you were still in bed." said Kagura with a little grin.

"How could I not Kagura, you slept in that bed it was one of the best sleeps I have ever gotten. But now that I am up I don't feel like doing nothing all day, which is why we're going to meet Natsu right after his interview." she stated with a smile as she continued to make her way through the crowds.

"I get that, but what if he's not there anymore and we missed him while we were in those stores?" asked Kagura with a concerned look in her eyes.

"Then Natsu and Akari will be waiting for us at the hotel, so we have nothing to really worry about." replied Cana with a confident smile.

"I guess you have a point there Cana." said Kagura with a slight smile since she felt like Cana and her were actually friends now.

"That I do Kagura, and if we hadn't done this you never would have found that cute dress of yours. That I just know Natsu is going to love seeing you in." said Cana with a huge smirk.

"Cana would you please stop saying things like that!" hissed Kagura with a slight blush on her cheeks.

"Sorry Kagura, but it's just too easy and your reactions are priceless." replied Cana with a sly grin.

"How would you like it if I started to tease you about him?" asked Kagura as she glared at Cana.

"I don't think you even could if you wanted to, besides I am not ashamed about silly things like that." answered Cana with a confident smirk.

"Oh so you wouldn't mind me telling him that you kept saying his name in your sleep?" asked Kagura with a smug look on her face.

"You wouldn't, and I didn't do that!" denied Cana, but had no idea if that was the case. Since it could have happened last night since the dragon slayer did pop up in her dreams a few times, so it wouldn't be too hard to believe that she might have said his name aloud.

"Just try me Cana." she declared as she gave her a glare one would give their enemy before they fought each other.

"Fine Kagura, I will stop teasing you about Natsu. But I really do think he'll like seeing you in that dress since it shows off your nice body a little more than your usual outfit does." she responded as they came up to the building of Sorcerer's Weekly.

"Do you really think so?" asked Kagura with a little bit of excitement in her voice.

"Absolutely Kagura, I already told you that he was checking you out this morning when I was right there practically wearing nothing at all." she replied with a smile.

"Now this is something I have to hear more about, please continue you two?" asked Jason with a sly grin. This unexpected guess caused Kagura to let out a little yelp of surprise, which was instantly followed by a deadly glare and aura coming off of her. Just asking for someone to mention what just happened, so she could take her anger out on them. But no one was stupid enough to do such a thing.

"Aren't you supposed to be with Natsu right now Jason?" asked Cana as she looked at the reporter with a slight glare.

"We got done with that an hour ago, but now I am interested in why the two of you are here." he stated still grinning at the two of them.

"To come and get Natsu and Akari." replied Kagura.

"Makes sense I guess, just like you coming with them since it's on your way back to your guild." he said with a knowing look on his face.

"I can't believe that idiot told you that." said Cana while shaking her head.

"Oh and your excuse Cana is not much better, even if you did have something to get here. We both know you could have easily had it shipped to you in Magnolia." pointed out Jason.

"He does have a point there Cana." said Kagura with a little smirk since Cana didn't have a response to that.

"Shut up, and where is he if you finished an hour ago?" asked Cana as she glared at Jason.

"How the hell would I know that?" he asked with a knowing smile.

"You wouldn't just let him wander around Crocus without someone following him. Since we both know that Natsu can't help but make headlines when he's out and about." she stated.

"Every true Cana, especially after that great interview I just had with him. Natsu and Minerva both headed back to your hotel if I am not mistaken." he said as shocked expressions came over the faces of the two girls.

"What the hell is she doing with him?" hissed Kagura, since her last time with Minerva wasn't a pleasant memory.

"That idiot is too forgiving." declared Cana.

"From what I was told they are good friends, which really isn't that surprising since we are talking about Natsu here, and decided to catch up with each other on the walk back to the hotel. Oh and it would also appear that Akari has taken a liking to Minerva as well since she wanted Minerva to hold her on the walk back." answered Jason, as he watched their reactions to this.

"I told you we should have just waited for him there." said Kagura as she glared at Cana.

"Calm down Kagura, we just have to go back and meet up with him there. It's not like Minerva would want to spend time with him while he has Akari with him." stated Cana, which only calmed down Kagura for a few moments.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that Cana, apparently Minerva had a smile on her face the whole time she was holding Akari." he said.

"Probably because she was thinking about the next terrible thing she plans on doing." mumbled Kagura.

"I wouldn't call this smile sinister, would you?" he asked while showing them a photo of the two walking down the street. Akari being carefully held by Minerva who had a smile on her face that most would say was a warm and caring smile. Some might even say it was motherly, since the photo made the three of them look like a happy little family.

"I didn't know she could smile like that." stated Kagura, who was shocked by the photo.

"She's changed a lot Kagura since the last time you met her, and it's all been for the better in my opinion. But we need to hurry back there just in case Natsu gets bored and decides to do something he shouldn't." said Cana who then left without another word with Kagura following right behind her.

"Natsu you haven't even noticed yet have you?" asked Jason to himself.

"What did those two want?" asked one of Jason's go to cameramen.

"They were looking for Natsu, which makes me want you and the rest of your crew to keep an eye on him while he's still in town." answered Jason.

"How come Jason, don't we already have someone on him right now?" he asked.

"That we do, but I have a feeling that we'll want more just to make sure that we don't miss anything that might happen with him and Akari while they are still here." replied Jason.

"Sure thing boss." he said as he then went to go get his things and his crew ready.

 **With Natsu and Minerva:**

"Come on Natsu, you know she would look adorable in this." stated Minerva as she glared at him.

"Yes she would, but I don't even want to imagine what the guild would do if they saw her in that." replied Natsu as he readjusted his hold on Akari who was looking at all of the bright colors in the store.

"Please Natsu, I already said that I would be the one buying it." she said with a slight pout.

"I know, but that isn't the problem Minerva. The problem is I can't have her dressing up in Sabretooth apparel before she's even worn anything from Fairy Tail." he argued.

"Why not, it's not like it will mean anything?" she asked.

"We don't know that!" he replied with a concerned look.

"HAHAHAHA please don't tell me that you think she might actually want to join Sabertooth if she wears this?" asked Minerva while giggling at him and holding up an onesie with a Sabertooth emblem on the middle of it. The onesie made the baby wearing it look like a little tiger and even included a tail and ears.

"What if it does?" asked a very concerned Natsu.

"It won't Natsu." she replied with a big smile.

"But what if it does, I really couldn't care less as long as Akari's happy. But the rest of my guild would beat the shit out of me if she joined a different guild, and for some reason I think Sabretooth would make it even worse." he said while imagining what it would be like for him if that happened.

"How about this then Natsu, I buy this one as well. And she'll try it on first just so we're on the safe side?" she asked while holding up a different onesie that had a Fairy Tail emblem on it.

"I guess that would make it better, but I still don't know about this." he replied while looking down at Akari who was still trying to take in all that the store had to offer.

"Why don't we let Akari decide this then?" asked Minerva with a smirk.

"Probably not a bad idea since I don't want her wearing something that she doesn't like." responded Natsu with a grin.

"Akari which one do you want to try on first?" she asked with a bright smile as she showed the two outfits to her. Akari looked confused and then looked up at Natsu with a questioning look.

"It's up to you honey." he said while giving her a reassuring smile. Akari looked at one of the onesies and then the other then went back to the first; she did this for a few moments and then finally stopped. While having a big smile on her face as she pointed at the Fairy Tail one and made a happy little yelp.

"That's my little dragon, you are definitely going to be a great Fairy Tail mage when you grow up." cheered Natsu as he twirled with her in the middle of the store. And he started to attract a lot of attention from the other customers because of his outburst and Akari giggling as they spun around.

"You're an embarrassment to be seen in public with Natsu." stated Minerva with a smile as he finally stopped spinning around with his daughter.

"Come on Minerva, you know you're enjoying yourself. I mean just look at that smile on your face, I don't think I have ever seen you smile this much before." he replied with his usual grin that Akari was also doing right now. This was too much for Minerva since it looked so cute on Akari and she was honestly happy to be able to not take everything so seriously when around the two of them.

"Okay I am enjoying myself but that still doesn't mean you aren't embarrassing me." she replied after giggling at the two of them.

"Dada!" cheered Akari happily as she tried to grab his face.

"You're right Akari; it's our job to make sure that our friends are happy. Even if that does require us to embarrass ourselves every once and awhile." he replied still sporting his usual grin.

"You two are definitely too similar, so let's go and try these on so I can make sure they fit properly." said Minerva as she then lead them to a changing station.

"Nana!" cheered Akari as Natsu set her down. Causing him to slightly frown at her while Minerva started to giggle at the little girl's antics, which seemed to be what she thought Natsu would be like if he was a baby.

"Don't you mean daddy?" asked Natsu as he started to change her. Akari went about making all sorts of noises and babbling away with a smile on her little face, which let him know that she was trying to play innocent.

"She's definitely going to be a handful while she grows up." stated Minerva with a smirk.

"Of course she is since I am her father after all, which only means we are going to have so many great adventures together." he replied while tickling said girl and eliciting some giggles from her.

"And I am confident that you'll be able to handle her." she replied while looking at him and seeing how happy he was right now. It was something she never expected to see from the person who used to be known for only really loving food and fighting, but here he was. In a children's story buying clothes for his daughter and it would appear that he couldn't be happier, which just so happened to be the case.

"So what do you think, isn't she the cutest little Fairy Tail mage you've ever seen?" asked Natsu as he presented a smiling Akari to Minerva in the Fairy Tail onesie that she picked out.

"I do believe you are correct about her being the cutest, but we still don't know about her being a mage of Fairy Tail yet. You said it yourself Natsu, you only care that she's happy and that just might be her becoming a mage of Sabretooth." replied Minerva with a grin.

"I did say that, but it doesn't mean I won't try and get her to pick Fairy Tail. But all of this is pointless right now since I don't know if she'll even be a mage." stated Natsu with a slight frown. He only frowned since he knew it would be harder for her to protect herself if she wasn't a mage, and he was still concerned about the same people that killed the rest of her family coming after her in the future.

"Of course she's going to be a mage Natsu. If her mother was as strong as you said, then it's almost guaranteed that Akari will become a mage especially since you're her father as well." she stated with a confident smile.

"I don't know about that Minerva; I don't even know if I can pass my magic on to her since I initially got it from Igneel. I might actually be the reason for her not being a mage since I have never heard of any slayers having kids that become mages." he stated with a sad look in his eyes as he started to change Akari into the other onesie.

"Well that's probably because slayers are extremely rare Natsu." she argued.

"True, and that only makes me even more concerned about it. But this is something I can worry about later since she's still extremely young to be showing any signs of having magic yet." he replied as he buttoned up her onesie. Natsu couldn't help but smile at how cute Akari looked while wearing it, she reminded him of when he raised Happy because she now looked like a little cat while wearing it.

"How is it even possible for you to look this cute Akari?" asked Minerva as she took her away from Natsu and gently hugged her. As the little girl giggled and started to suck on the tail that she now had.

"I do have to admit that's pretty adorable, so much so that I think Fairy Tail will be fine seeing her in it." stated Natsu as he watched Minerva hold Akari with a tender smile.

"Just another reason why Sabretooth is better Natsu, there is no way a fairy could look this cute." said Minerva as she started to tickle Akari who was enjoying every minute of this.

"We are each entitled to our own opinions even though they might be wrong. So what else do you want to do before I have to call it a night?" asked Natsu as they made their way to buy the two little outfits that she picked out for Akari.

"Would you mind going to a few other stores?" asked Minerva as she smiled at him.

"Not at all since Akari is still happy and not fussy yet." he answered with a smile that seemed to be infectious.

"Well aren't you all just a lovely little family." said the cashier as they came up to her.

"Thanks but we…" started Natsu but was stopped mid-sentence by a glare from Minerva.

"What was that Sir?" asked the lady.

"He was just going to say thank you for the lovely compliment, isn't that right darling?" asked Minerva with a smile that looked normal to most, but Natsu knew it had a completely different meaning for him.

"Absolutely honey." replied Natsu, who now remembered why most men were too afraid to even talk to the woman.

"So what's her name?" asked the lady as she rung up their items, including the one that Akari was still wearing.

"It's Akari and doesn't she make the cutest little tiger you've ever seen?" asked Minerva as she made sure the cashier could see Akari properly.

"That she does, so how old is she?" asked the lady as she smiled at them as Natsu handed her the jewels to pay for the clothes.

"About seven months." he replied with a smile. As Akari let out a little growl that surprised all of them, causing them to look at her to only see her smiling back at all of them.

"That's definitely the cutest thing that I have ever seen while working here. And she's pretty sharp for just being seven months old." said the cashier with a bigger smile than before.

"She really likes stories with animals in them, especially when I try to mimic what they sound like." replied Natsu with a sheepish grin while rubbing the back of his head.

"Well I'd say that she definitely does if she was able to figure out that she's now dressed up as a tiger. So keep up the great work at being a father Sir." said the lady as they left her with the next customer.

"Thanks, and I plan on it." he replied as they headed towards the exit.

"See Natsu, even strangers can tell you're going to be a great dad." stated Minerva as they exited the store with Akari occasionally doing a little growl or roar. That was always rewarded with a smile from both of them or one of them tickling her for being so cute.

"So why did you stop me from correcting her about us being a family?" asked Natsu with an eyebrow raised.

"No reason to, and I thought it would be fun to pretend for a little while. I've always wondered what it would be like to be in a loving family that was just happy to be with one another." replied Minerva with a smile that towards the end became a sad one.

"Then let's see how it is for the rest of the day." he declared with his usual grin.

"What in the world are you talking about Natsu?" asked Minerva as she came to a stop.

"Why don't we keep doing what we did in the store and pretend that we are a family just like you wanted." explained Natsu still grinning at her.

"I don't know Natsu, do you even know what that would be like. Or how you're supposed to act, now don't get me wrong but you're… what are you doing Natsu?" asked Minerva in a startled tone since Natsu slid his arm around her waist and pulled her right to his side.

"Wouldn't I just have to do something like this and try and make the two of you as happy as possible?" asked Natsu still grinning at her with his usual childish grin.

"Yeah but there is a whole lot more to it than just that Natsu." she replied in a nervous tone that Natsu noticed but thought nothing of it.

"All you have to do is just tell me what to do Minerva, since this sounds to me like something you might have really wanted to know about for a long time. And I actually wouldn't mind finding out too since you could definitely say that I never had what you would call a normal family." he stated with a warm smile and eyes that told her he was completely serious about doing this.

"You're going to keep trying for this even if I refuse aren't you?" asked Minerva as she gave him a light glare.

"Yep, we Dragneels are stubborn when we set our mind on something. Isn't that right my little dragon, or should I say my little tiger?" asked Natsu as he smiled at Akari who let out a happy little yelp as her response.

"What am I going to do with you two?" asked Minerva with a smile, as she finally realized that Natsu still had his arm around her and was keeping her right next to him. This also let her realize how warm he was and physically fit he was even after not going on any jobs for more than a month. It also made her question how Akari could handle that much heat all of the time, but wrote that off as her being his daughter so of course she could take it.

"Nothing since you are stuck with us for the rest of the day honey." replied Natsu with a cheeky grin as got their little group to start walking again.

"That's not going to be happening anymore Natsu." she stated while giving him another quick glare.

"You're the one that started it by calling me darling in the store my tigress." he stated with another cheeky grin that was instantly gone when she elbowed him straight in the gut.

"And I am ending it right now Natsu." declared Minerva with a smirk as she watched him rub his gut with his left hand since the other one was still wrapped around her.

"Fine Minerva, I was just trying to have a little fun. Did you really have to hit me that hard?" he asked as they continued to walk down the street.

"Yes, because I know that you wouldn't have gotten the message otherwise Natsu. Or is the famous Salamander hurt from a hit by little old me?" teased Minerva with a smile spread across her lips.

"Not even close, so where's the first store you want to go to?" asked Natsu as he looked at her with a smile of his own.

"How about we head to the park first and then do some more shopping afterwards." she suggested.

"I'm fine with that, but what are we going to do there?" he asked.

"We can just sit back and enjoy the view, and I am pretty sure that you'll be going to a lot of parks later on." she answered, while thinking about how nice it was going to be to sit with the dragon slayer and his daughter for a few minutes just like a real family might do together some evening.

"Yeah but that won't be happening for a while." he stated as they continued on.

"She'll probably want to go to them as soon as she starts crawling Natsu, which will be happening anytime now. And once she can actually walk she'll definitely want to be at the park with other kids her age." stated Minerva as she remembered that at even the age of ten, that was all she wanted to do but her dad had other plans for her.

"And I'll be more than happy to take her, but right now still seems kind of pointless to me." replied Natsu.

"Aren't you supposed to be trying to make the both of us happy Natsu? And this is what we want right now." stated Minerva with a smirk as she looked over at him.

"Hey we're going there aren't we, and I don't really think Akari really cares what we do right now." he stated with a grin.

"Mama!" cheered Akari and burst into a fit of giggles.

"It would appear that you are wrong on that one Natsu." replied Minerva with a smug look on her face.

"Akari I thought we were a team, how could you do this to me?" he asked with a smile since he really didn't care about where they went. And he was actually glad that it wasn't another store since he could only do so much of that in one day.

"Dada!" cheered Akari, making them both wonder if she was just happily saying the few words that she knew. And it was just a mere coincidence that it lined up in favor of Minerva, either way they really didn't care since the park was where they were headed.

 **Back with Kagura and Cana:**

"Natsu are you here?" asked Cana as the two of them entered the living room.

"It would appear that they aren't here, but I thought that he said he would be waiting for us here?" asked Kagura with a small frown on her face since the pink haired duo weren't here like she hoped they would be.

"He did say that, so where the hell is he?" asked Cana as she started to look for some sign of where he might have gone off to.

"Do you think that he might have gone somewhere with her?" asked Kagura with a little venom in her tone.

"Maybe, but if he did you would think that he would leave a note or something for us." replied Cana as she started to look around the living room for a note.

"He'd actually do something like that?" asked a skeptical Kagura.

"Yeah and you can thank Erza for that, when we were younger he would randomly be gone for weeks without telling any of us to search for Igneel. That is something that we learned later on, but at the time Erza didn't know that and was worried sick about him whenever he did that. So she would beat him up once he returned and tell him to at least leave a note so that we would know what he was up to and when to expect him back." answered Cana.

"And he actually started to do that?" asked Kagura, who still found it hard to believe that Natsu would actually leave a note.

"It took at least ten of those beating for him to start leaving a note, which only caused him to get beaten up more by Erza. Since they were really short at the beginning and only said something along the lines of going out. But after a long time of her very unorthodox way of teaching, he'd always leave a note that at least tells you when to expect his return." responded Cana after realizing that it wasn't in the living room.

"Then where is the note, oh no, you don't think that someone might have kidnapped the two of them?" asked Kagura with a very concerned and angry face.

"No I don't Kagura and you shouldn't either because if something like that did happen, I really don't think this hotel would be standing anymore. And how did I not look at that spot right away?" asked Cana as she shook her head at herself for not looking at the spot that he usually left his note, the refrigerator.

"Is it there?" asked Kagura as she followed Cana to the kitchen.

"Yep." replied Cana as she started to read it.

Dear Cana and Kagura,

Sorry about not being here like I said we would be, but Minerva showed up and wanted to see some of the town with us. So that is exactly what we are doing, and I unfortunately don't know how long we'll be doing that or where we're going to be going. So don't expect us to return until probably at least nine tonight. Oh and I will make sure that we all do something fun together tomorrow to make up for not seeing you two much today.

From Natsu and Akari.

"He actually left a note." stated Kagura who was still surprised about this.

"What is she planning?" asked Cana as she glared at the note.

"Minerva?" asked Kagura as she looked at Cana and was surprised to see the glare on her face.

"Yes and that woman is always up to something. And now it's involving Natsu and Akari, which is completely unacceptable." she stated while still glaring at the note.

"But didn't you say earlier ago that she's changed for the better?" asked Kagura.

"Yes I did but that doesn't mean we should completely trust her. She has to earn that after everything she's done, but Natsu probably already trusts her completely. I really hope he's still got his guard up while he's with her." explained Cana as she sat down on the sofa.

"Considering that Akari is still with him I think he definitely will." stated Kagura with a confident smile.

"You're probably right, and I am now wishing that we would have just waited here like you said." replied Cana after letting out a sigh.

"What's done is done, but now I am curious what he has planned for us tomorrow?" asked Kagura with an excited smile since she had no idea what it could be.

"Don't get your hopes up Kagura, it's Natsu we're talking about here so it's probably an all you can eat buffet." answered Cana with a smirk. As she pictured Natsu happily dragging them to a restaurant that will be forced to close for the rest of the day because of the dragon slayer that can always put down more food.

"I'm still excited since no guy has ever done anything like that for me." stated Kagura with a slight blush.

"And no guy will probably ever do it again since Natsu is definitely a one of a kind." replied Cana as she started to giggle at how worked up Kagura was over Natsu just saying that he wanted to do something fun with them tomorrow.

"So besides an all you can eat buffet, what else do think he might be planning?" asked Kagura as she sat down on the sofa with Kagura.

"With Natsu it could literally be anything. I mean have you seen that gift he gave Erza when they were all still kids?" asked Cana with a fond smile as she remembered some of the gifts that Natsu had actually given her over the years. They were always completely random when he gave them, and ranged from one of the bracelets that she actually still wears today to a bottle of booze that he claimed to have just found lying around at his place. When she knew that he definitely went out and got it for her on one of her bad days and only did it in hopes of cheering her up which it always did.

"No I haven't, Erza only talks about him when she's telling me about a job that they've done together. Then again I never really asked her about him at all in the past." said Kagura with a smile.

"Strange but we can talk about that later. So the gift that shows you can never predict what Natsu might get you is exemplified in the dress that he gave Erza. It was a weird sawn dress that he happened to see in a store window and said he just had to get if for her. Oh man did the guild make fun of him for that for a really long time." said Cana with a slight smile.

"That seems like a terrible thing to do to him if he was just being nice." stated Kagura with a frown.

"It was, but he didn't care since Erza happily accepted it from him and thanked him for it. And I really think she liked it since she also didn't stop him from fighting Grey for a whole week afterwards, which is pretty much unheard of until Akari came into the picture that is." explained Cana.

"You don't think Erza might like him do you?" asked Kagura with a questioning look on her face.

"I don't know Erza has always kept most of that stuff to herself. And now that I am thinking about it, the only reason that she actually ever opened up at all is thanks to Natsu. So I guess it could be a possibility, but if she does she sure has a really weird way of showing it." answered Cana as she scratched her chin in thought.

"All of you Fairy Tail mages are weird." stated Kagura with a smile.

"Yep and that is why we're number one." replied Cana as she stuck her tongue out at her.

 **End of Chapter**

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. So just to make things clear I haven't run into writer's block yet on any of my stories, I have just been distracted with other things in life that I won't go into. Also I am now going to open up the polls for who should become Natsu's mate and Akari's mom for this story. So I haven't ever really done this type of thing before so as of right now just tell me who you want in either a review or PM and I'll start tallying all of them up. Oh and I will probably keep it open for the next two chapters as well since some of you might want someone different depending on what I write. Well that's all so as always feel free to leave me a review or pm me and I'll try to get back to you as soon as possible.**

 **Oh and since a lot of people have asked for this story to become a harem I would like to see if that is what the majority of my readers want. If so then I will probably turn it into that even though I set out making this story not intending for that to happen. Oh and if you guys do want this to be a harem story then I would be open for it to include more than the three that I have as possible candidates right now. Just wanted to see what you all thought about this stuff and can't wait to hear back from you all.**

 **Until the next Chapter**

 **Digem Out!**


	11. Day at the Waterpark

Ch 11: Day at the Waterpark

 **All right a quick note at the beginning to let you guys know what's happening with the two polls. So first off I am not going to post the results to either of the polls since that would ruin the little suspense that is actually in the story. And it was also pointed out that it could also ruin more than just that so I'm going to keep the results to myself for now and only say that I was surprised completely on both of the polls so far since it could still go either way on it being a harem and the front runner for the girl is barely ahead. Also is chapter is longer than I initially planned and that's probably because it took me forever to update it so I felt like I owed you all something. That's it for this quick note.**

 **A little after nine outside of Natsu's room:**

"Here we are again, about to part ways." said Natsu with a little grin as he held his sleeping daughter with his right arm.

"Indeed we are, and thank you for doing all of that with me Natsu. I had a really good time with you and Akari, it really felt like we were a little family." replied Minerva with a slight blush.

"It was seriously my pleasure Minerva, and I had a lot of fun with you and so did Akari. And I think she might have a new favorite outfit now." he stated as he nodded towards Akari still in her tiger onesie.

"I bet she was always doing those cute little roars of hers for the rest of the night." she said with a loving smile as she looked at the sleeping little girl in his arms.

"And who's fault is that?" he asked with a sly grin.

"It's just as much your fault Natsu as it is mine, because if I remember correctly you fawned over her just as much as I did." she said while jabbing him in the chest with an accusing finger, causing him to start chuckling softly.

"You got me there, and it also didn't help that anyone else who saw her doing it instantly fell in love with her also." he stated with a cheesy grin.

"Fatherhood suits you surprisingly well Natsu." she said while turning away from him and walking towards her room.

"Thanks, and after today I would say the same about you to. Well not fatherhood since in your case it would be motherhood, gah you know what I'm trying to say." he said while progressively getting more flustered as he continued. While Minerva on the other hand couldn't help but to start giggling at him becoming nervous now of all times, when it was only just the two of them saying goodbye for the night.

"I do, and you look cute when you're embarrassed." she stated with a little smirk.

"I'm not embarrassed." he denied in a quiet yet angry tone since he didn't want to wake Akari up.

"Your slight blush begs to differ Natsu, and as much fun as it is to tease you I need to take a hot shower and get some sleep." she replied as she started to open her door with her set of keys.

"Whatever, but you're going to join us tomorrow right?" he asked with his usual grin that she started to enjoy just a little more each time she saw it.

"I wouldn't miss it." she responded with a wink before heading into her room and closing the door behind her.

"Well that's one down Akari and now just two more to go. Oh yeah you're asleep already since we had a long and busy day today." he said while looking for his keys and not having any luck. But while he was looking for them he thought he heard some whispering on the other side of the door. So going off of that assumption he tried to open the door but it ran into something that made a thud and two distinct grunts of pain before allowing him into his room. That now had both Cana and Kagura sitting in front of the door with guilty faces as if they were just caught red handed.

"So what were you two doing?" he asked with a knowing look on his face.

"If you must know Natsu I happen to find the floor extremely comfy sometimes." stated Cana with a smirk since that sounded like a reasonable excuse to her. While poor Kagura looked like she was a deer caught in the headlights and didn't respond back to his question.

"Sure you were Cana, and could you two please move so I can actually get in without possibly tripping over the two of you?" he asked while rolling his eyes at her explanation as to why she was on the floor.

"Sorry Natsu, and do you need any help?" asked Kagura as she got up and moved out of the way. Cana on the other hand remained sitting there not giving up on her terrible excuse.

"I won't move since this happens to be an extremely comfortable spot to me." she said while keeping her smirk on as Natsu slipped into the room.

"I guess you do end up on the floor a lot with all of your drinking." he said while shutting the door and then almost falling to his knees because of a hit he received to his left calf.

"I've already told you that I'm cutting back and that's not why the floor's comfy sometimes." she said while glaring at him.

"Then please explain it to me Cana and you do realize I'm holding Akari." he said with a little grin as a look of horror flashed across her face at hearing that.

"I'm so sorry Natsu you know I would never do anything to hurt her." she quickly apologized while getting up to make sure that the little girl was okay.

"It's fine Cana, I wasn't going to let anything happen to her." he replied with a confident grin as he made his way to the sofa with both of the women going to a side of him.

"Natsu, what in the world is she wearing?" asked Kagura as she tried to figure out what he put her in.

"She's wearing a Sabretooth onesie that Minerva picked out for her." he replied not noticing the upset looks that both women had at just hearing her name.

"I can't believe you'd let her wear something like that Natsu." stated Cana now having a disappointed look on her face.

"You're saying that now but wait until she does her cute little roar in it, and don't worry I made sure that she wore something with a Fairy Tail emblem on it first." he said with a happy little grin.

"At least you were smart enough to do that before she tricked you into doing this." she said with a little smile because Akari did look pretty cute in the onesie if she was being honest with herself.

"Wait how does that help anything at all?" asked Kagura with a confused look.

"Cana, Minerva didn't trick me into doing anything. Everything I did today was what I wanted to do, and I thought that you knew she is nothing like her old self from back then?" he asked with a little frown as he looked at her, while completely ignoring Kagura's question.

"I know that Natsu, but that doesn't mean you should trust her as much as you already do." she stated with a concerned look that he easily identified.

"You still haven't answered my question." stated Kagura with a slightly upset look directed at the two of them.

"I know you're just concerned about the two of us Cana, but I honestly know what I am doing. Do you really think I'd let someone who might hurt Akari ever even come close to her?" he asked with a confident grin.

"I guess not, but I'm still just concerned about you two becoming targets, like we discussed at the guild. And her past isn't one that inspires trust, also we had no idea where the three of you were at so we could keep an eye on you like we should have been doing." she said with a little smile trying to hide her slight embarrassment for worrying about them.

"Thanks for worrying about us and I'll try to not do that again to you." he said while giving her a quick one armed hug that caught her by surprise. That only took her a second to reciprocate and start enjoying the safety that he was somehow able to give off while doing it, until the other person in the room decided to clear her throat and successfully ruining their little moment.

"Sorry Kagura, and to answer your question I did that to make sure that she would most likely join Fairy Tail." he stated with a proud grin at making sure she would go to the best guild.

"That is probably one of the stupidest things I've ever heard." said Kagura with a look of disbelief since Cana seemed to be agreeing with Natsu on this one.

"He was just covering his bases on this one Kagura." said Cana with a little grin.

"You two have to know that something like that wasn't actually going to affect what guild she goes to in the future in the slightest?" she asked and could instantly tell the other two didn't believe her on this. "Never mind, so what did you and Minerva do all day?" asked Kagura while trying to hide her distaste for the woman when she said her name.

"We did some shopping as you could probably tell, then went to the park and talked for a while and then back to shopping for a little bit. We then finished the night by going to a fancy restaurant that she really wanted to go to." he answered with a fond smile that the two didn't like the looks of.

"Is that really all you two did together?" asked Cana with a skeptical look.

"Yeah pretty much, why are you two so curious about what we did together?" he asked while looking between the two of them.

"We're just concerned about you Natsu, and it feels like you're leaving something out." stated Kagura as she looked directly into his eyes with an intense stare, trying to see if he was telling the whole truth.

"Honestly nothing else happened." he replied with a little chuckle.

"That's a lie." declared Kagura as she continued to stare at him.

"Did she make a move on you Natsu, if she did I will have to give her a piece of my mind." said Cana as she stood up and headed towards the exit.

"I think I'll join you on that Cana, and I can also thank her for our last meeting." said Kagura as she grabbed her sword and had a look of someone heading off to battle.

"Hold up a second you two." Natsu said with a concerned look.

"I'll distract her with some long range attacks as you flank her." suggest Cana with a little smirk.

"This time I know her moves so she won't get the drop on me." stated Kagura still having that determined look on her face.

"You two are definitely over reacting here, and she didn't make a move on me." he said hoping to calm the two females that got fired up in less than a second.

"What room is she even in?" asked Kagura as she opened the door.

"Don't worry I got one of the male employees to give me her number in case something like this happened." replied Cana with a smirk.

"STOP!" shouted Natsu causing Akari to wake up in tears, which only infuriated the dragon slayer more. In one quick movement he slammed the door shut before the two could escape and started to try and calm down his baby girl while occasionally sending angry glances at the other two. Cana and Kagura realized they might have made a huge mistake and decided to try and sneak into the bedroom while he was preoccupied with Akari.

"Just going into another room won't stop us from talking about what almost just happened." he stated before they even got to the doorway. This caused both of them to now have slight frowns as they walked over to the sofa and waited for Natsu of all people to lecture them. And for the next fifteen minutes they quietly watched him put her back to sleep after her rude awakening.

"So as I was trying to tell the two of you earlier, Minerva never made any sort of move on me. Now would the two of you please explain why the two of you were ready to go and attack her if she had?" he asked in a quiet voice that the two knew he was only using because of Akari.

"We were both just looking out for you Natsu." said Cana while not looking at him in the eyes.

"Sorry but that's not going to cut it, there has to be more to it than that. Maybe if it was just Kagura going after her I could understand since they still haven't patched things up between the two of them, but you being the first one just doesn't make sense to me Cana." he said with a slightly confused face.

"I don't, well you see, okay how can I explain this? Natsu I think that I …" she answered having a hard time coming up with the words but got cut off.

"She got that upset because of me Natsu." blurted out Kagura a little louder than she intended to, then covering her mouth as she looked at Akari who was luckily still asleep.

"Would you care to explain in a quieter voice Kagura?" he asked with a slight glare.

"Of course, well after we found your note I was angry that you were hanging out with such a woman. But Cana reassured me that she was a better person now, which I wanted to believe but after what she did to Millianna and me at the GMG it's hard." she replied in a slightly nervous tone while looking at her hands folded on her lap.

"That sounds like it should have had the exact opposite effect." he stated with a questioning look.

"It would have if I didn't tell her how all of that other stuff felt and what she did to my best friend while I was completely helpless to stop her. It still makes me angry even now just thinking about it and then we find out that you and Akari are with her having a fun time." she explained and was almost in tears from the pent up anger and frustration she was keeping. But she was then surprised to be pulled into a hug by Natsu who somehow switched Akari to his other arm while not waking her.

"It's okay Kagura; I know how it feels to be completely helpless while those that you truly care about are in danger. It's one of the worst feelings out there, but you need to remember that in those moments we grow and become stronger. And you were fortunate to not lose her, so you need to let go of your anger towards Minerva on this because it won't help anyone." he said quietly to her while continuing to hug her.

"But it's so hard to forgive her after what she did." she replied just above a whisper.

"I know it took me a long time to stop think about getting revenge on Acnologia for what he did to Igneel. But after thinking about it for more than a week I could see that becoming consumed by revenge was only going to hurt those that I truly cared about. Now I'm not trying to say that you need to forgive Minerva right away for what she did to you, but you do need to let go of trying to get back at her. She's a completely different person now and she's just like the rest of us and just want's a place where she feels like she belongs at." he explained with a caring smile.

"I'll try." she replied quietly as she continued to enjoy the warm embrace that they were sharing together.

"That's all I can really ask for since she's going to be joining us tomorrow." he said not noticing the flashes of anger both women had when hearing that.

"She's going to be joining us in doing what exactly Natsu?" asked Cana with a slightly upset look.

"I got us all tickets to that water park we had so much fun at last time." he answered with a huge grin.

"You sly dog, you're only doing that since you want to see us in our bikinis." she stated with a sly grin.

"That's not true, why does everyone instantly think I'm doing it for some perverted reason." he replied with a pout, not noticing that Kagura was blushing immensely by all of this and was trying to hide that fact by still hugging him. This did get noticed by Cana, who would have pointed it out if she hadn't just saved her from a very awkward confession that probably wouldn't have gone over too well.

"They probably think that because that is the reason that most guys would do something like this, but we know you're not like them. So I take it Minerva was the other person that accused you for just wanting to see us in our bikinis?" she asked still grinning at him.

"Yeah and after I explained myself she decided that she needed to buy a new one since she didn't bring on with her and had me help her pick one out." he replied with a slight smile that she caught.

"And how exactly did you do that Natsu?" Cana asked with an even bigger grin than before since she could see that he was slightly nervous about all of this.

"She just showed me what she looked like in them and I told her what I thought about them." he mumbled back as he tried to not think about all of the different ones Minerva tried on and showed off to him.

"So you did like watching her strut around in them for you!" she accused while starting to giggle at his slightly embarrassed face.

"Of course I did, I am still a man after all." he replied while glaring at her as she continued to giggle at him.

"Then will you help me pick one out Natsu?" asked Kagura as she finally separated from him and looked at him with hopeful eyes.

"Do you really want my opinion on that, I wouldn't say I have a sense of fashion by any stretch of the imagination." he stated with a caring look now directed at her.

"Yes I do Natsu, so will you help me?" she asked again.

"Of course I will." he replied with one of his usual smiles.

"And just like that he's getting his own private show of the two of us trying on bikinis." commented Cana with a sly grin.

"Stop trying to make it sound perverted Cana, and when did you become a part of it?" he asked while giving her a slight glare for trying to make him feel bad about all of this.

"Just now, there's no way I'm going to be the only one not wearing a Natsu approved bikini. And since we're going to have to do a lot of shopping early tomorrow morning we should get to sleep right away." she replied while grabbing Kagura's hand and dragging her into the bedroom and closing the door.

"Maybe I should have gone with the idea of taking them to an all you can eat buffet like I first thought of." he stated to himself while shaking his head at how worked up they all seemed to get about picking out a new outfit. Something that he was sure he would never understand about women, but knew he had to get used to it since it was going to become a part of his life even if he didn't want it to be.

 **The next day outside of the changing rooms at the water park:**

"What could possibly be taking them so long in there Akari?" Natsu asked his daughter who was now in a pink little one piece swimsuit that had a little skirt at the bottom of it. While he was in a pair of plain red swim trunks that let all of the other visitors look at his well chiseled body that was obtained by countless hours of training.

Akari responded with a happy little yelp and then started to babble away while sucking on his scarf. That she wouldn't let go of even after he tried to take it away from her for about two minutes, but relented and let her hold onto it while not having it loosely wrapped around her like it usually was and was now draped over his shoulder.

"They're of course trying to look their best for you Natsu." said Minerva as she came from inside of the water park. She was now wearing a black bikini that was trimmed in red frills that in Natsu's opinion made her somehow look even more attractive than she already was.

"Why would they be doing that, they already look good to me on most days. And I didn't know you were already here, I hope you didn't wait around too long." he replied with his usual grin as Akari started to reach for Minerva.

"You really are clueless about somethings aren't you, and you might make me jealous by saying things like that about other women Natsu. And I've only been here for a few minutes so you have nothing to worry about." she said while he passed Akari over to her.

"Good, and what exactly am I clueless about? Also why would you be jealous?" he asked with a confused face as he looked at Minerva starting to play with Akari.

"Sometimes your daddy is really stupid Akari, but it seems that's only the case when it's mainly about him. And he also doesn't seem to pick up on jokes very well either." she said while tickling Akari's little tummy and causing her to giggle.

"I'd really prefer if you didn't call me stupid in front of her Minerva. And she really does like you." he stated with a smirk.

"But what if that is what you're being?" she asked with a sly grin.

"I still don't see how I am being that in this instance?" he asked her back.

"Natsu!" yelled Cana as she came out of the changing room. Making sure to get his attention as she and Kagura came walking up to them. She was in a plain white bikini that had a red Fairy Tail emblem on the right breast but otherwise had nothing else. Kagura's was just a plain red one, which she chose only to match the plain red swim trunks that he told her he was going to be wearing after she tried to find out discreetly but ended up with Cana just asking him straight out.

"About time you two, and you both look really good." he replied with a grin as he checked them both out just for a second.

"Do you really think so?" asked Kagura with a slight blush.

"Of course I do otherwise I wouldn't have said it." he said as they finally were now all in a little group.

"Thanks Natsu and you're just so cute in that little outfit Akari." said Cana while completely glossing over the fact that Minerva was the one holding her right now.

"Minerva." stated Kagura as she glared at the woman.

"Could you hold her for a sec?" said Minerva as she quickly passed Akari over to an eager Cana.

"I honestly think you can make anything look cute." stated Cana as gently poked her in the nose making her smile up at her.

"Kagura I would like to sincerely apologize for what I did to you and Millianna at the Grand Magic Games. I know that it doesn't mean much but I truly regret that I did that day and want to make it up to the both of you. But I honestly don't know how or if either of you would even want to be around me after that, which is why I've stayed away." she said with a sad face and even gave a little bow to show how sorry she was. Kagura never expected to hear or see something like this come from Minerva, but both Cana and Natsu did say that she changed for the better. And this little action that she took right here was all she needed to see to know that they were both right about her, while also letting some of her anger wash away since Minerva was trying to make up for her mistake.

"I think that'll be enough for me, but Millianna on the other hand will need more than that." said Kagura with a stern look.

"Of course, but do you have any idea of what I could do to make it up to her?" she asked with a slight smile, glad that Kagura was no longer glaring at her. Because if she had kept that up she didn't know how long she would have been able to stay with them.

"If it's something cat related then I'm sure she'll love it and instantly forgive you." replied Kagura with a smile of her own since Millianna was really easy to make happy. That was probably due to her overall happy nature and eagerness to help others out.

"Thanks for the advice but I still don't know what I'll do." she stated with a frown.

"Why not just bring Lector and Frosch with you on your apology to her? I guarantee that she'll love becoming friends with those two." suggested Natsu with a warm smile since it looked like they were now going to be okay with spending the rest of the day together.

"That's a brilliant idea Natsu!" she cheered while hugging him and giving him a slight blush that the other two women instantly took notice of.

"Just trying to help so why don't we get away from the changing room and start enjoying ourselves." he said as she finally let go of him.

"Sounds good to us, right Akari." said Cana with a big grin as Akari let out a happy little yelp.

"It's why we actually came here." stated Kagura with a slight smile as Minerva just nodded her head.

"Alright let's go and did anyone else feel like we were being watched?" he asked as they started to walk into the water park.

"Natsu I know that you're not like most men but being with three beautiful women like us is bound to draw attention." stated Cana with a sultry grin sent his way.

"Then you also have to add in an adorable Akari." pointed out Kagura as she smiled at the little girl.

"And finally add in a smoking hot male into the mix and everyone is going to be looking at us." said Minerva with a confident grin as the other two looked at her with wide eyes. Both amazed that she would just say something like that about him without even a hint of nervousness.

"All very good points but this just feels like something different to me." he replied, making all of them think that he might not have been even listening to him.

"How so Natsu?" asked Kagura as she started to scan around for someone watching them.

"It just feels like we're being followed and I've had this feeling since we left the hotel." he answered as they continued to walk.

"Then it might be a good idea to keep an eye out for anything suspicious." said Minerva as she too started to scan the crowd.

"Don't worry about it too much guys, if anyone tries anything funny they'll instantly regret that decision with all of us being together." pointed out Cana who couldn't stop smiling since she was still holding Akari who was now wrapped up in Natsu's scarf just how she liked it.

"You have a point there Cana, if anyone tried to do anything to any of you I'd break every bone in their body since Akari is with us." replied Natsu in a slight growl as he cracked his knuckles.

"Your daddy might be what some people call overprotective." she said to the little girl in her arms smiling up at her.

"Dada?" asked Akari as she pointed at him.

"Yep, but that's a good thing right now to be but once you get older he's going to become a pain. He'll probably be like Gildarts and think everyone isn't good enough for you, but if that happens you'll be lucky enough to come to any of us and we'll knock some sense into him." she stated with a big grin as Akari once again started to smile back at her.

"Why are you telling her something like that, she's still just a baby?" he asked in a slightly angry tone.

"Just wanted to let her know what's most likely going to happen to her." she replied with a smirk.

"Minerva and Kagura please talk some sense into her on this." he said while turning to look at the other two.

"Sorry Natsu, but it does sound like something you might do when she's older." apologized Kagura with slight grin.

"I'm with these two on this one, you're definitely going to chase away any boy that likes her." stated Minerva with a big smile as she looked at him now having a face of complete disbelief.

"I really don't think I care about any of your opinions on this anymore, and I could back it up with a few facts but I don't want to ruin the day over something like this." he said while taking his daughter away from Cana with an upset look on his face.

"And what exactly were you going to say Natsu?" asked Cana, upset that she wasn't holding Akari anymore.

"I'm also intrigued as to what you were going to say." stated Minerva as she looked at him with a questioning look.

"Doesn't matter anymore just forget I said anything and let's go and do something." he replied taking the lead.

"Look what you did Cana, now he's mad at all of us!" hissed Kagura as she glared at her.

"You do know that you agreed with her about it and that he can definitely still hear us." pointed out Minerva with a slight grin as Kagura had a look of horror on her face since she forgot about that again.

"All I did was point out what's most likely going to happen since he's so protective of her." said Cana with a slight frown because she was afraid that she might have just ruined their day out together.

"I'm fine Cana and I'd like to state that I'm just the right amount of protectiveness with her and I know that she'll eventually start liking boys. But unlike Gildarts I will be reasonable about this and all they have to do to get my approval is beat me in a fight." he stated with a big grin. Letting them all know that we was indeed okay with them and was going to carry on as if none of that stuff happened.

"Natsu you do realize that pretty much means you won't be approving of anyone that likes her." she stated no longer frowning but having a warm smile replacing it instead.

"That's what I'm counting on, so what do you guys want to do first?" he asked while turning to look at all of them.

"I wouldn't mind going to the kiddy pool with you and Akari." suggested Kagura with a hopeful look.

"That's probably the only thing she can do." stated Minerva as she looked at all of the other things that the water park had to offer, none of which were suited for a baby at all.

"Then that's where we're going." declared Cana as she took the lead, hoping to be the one with Natsu as he took Akari into the water with him. But it seemed like the other two had the same idea, which resulted in them having a small race that left Natsu and Akari all alone.

"They've forgotten about us haven't they?" he asked his daughter with his usual grin.

"Nana!" cheered Akari as she clapped her hands and started to giggle.

"You really like saying that don't you?" he asked as she started to babble away as they started to head to the kiddy pool. And as they got there Natsu noticed that most of the other parents were leaving for some reason and was starting to grow worried. That is until he picked up three very distinct magic signatures that were emanating from the kiddy pool that now contained the other three members of their group.

"This was my idea first so you two need to leave." stated Cana as she glared at the other two. All of them glaring at each other just waiting for one of them to make the first move so they could counter it.

"Sorry ladies but all of you need to leave this area if you don't have a kid." said a terrified employee as she kept backing away from them.

"We already told you that she'll be here any minute." replied Minerva as she continued to watch the other two.

"You three realize that you just scared everyone else out of here." stated Natsu as he finally came into view of them. Instantly causing all three of them to stop glaring at each other and started to pretend that they weren't just about to fight.

"Just think of it as a pleasant bonus, it's almost as if you rented it out just for us." said Minerva with a warm smile as she beckoned them to join them.

"See now we have a kid so go away." said Cana as she looked at the female employee with a smug grin.

"Okay but usually it's just the parents that come in here. And aren't you a little cutie, so who's the mother?" asked the employee as she came up to Natsu and smiled at the duo.

"Actually none of them are, they're just really good friends of mine that I wanted to have some fun with today." he replied with his usual grin.

"Well that makes all of this even more interesting." she stated while taking a quick glance at the other three that didn't look too pleased with her talking to Natsu.

"Yeah and I think we'd like to start having some fun together." said Minerva as she came over and grabbed his arm, pulling him back over to the other two which were more than enough competition in her opinion for the day.

"See you around I guess." he replied giving the lady a quick grin over his shoulder causing her to have a slight blush that went unnoticed by him thanks to another pull by Minerva.

"This is going to be her first time in a swimming pool isn't it?" asked Kagura with an excited look in her eyes.

"Yep, but considering she's still just a baby all she's going to do is probably sit in it and splash around like she does when I give her a bath." he replied with a grin as he took her to the shallowest part of the pool and took a seat.

"True, but I'm still glad to be here to see it." she replied taking the spot to his right as Minerva took the spot to his left. While Cana on the other hand decided to take the spot right in front of him with a smug look on her face that only the two other girls could notice.

"Ready to play in the water Akari?" asked Natsu with a smile that he lost when she shook her head at him without her usual smile. So thinking that she didn't know what she was doing he went to set her in the water but was once again shocked that she held onto him letting him know that she didn't want to be set down.

"I'll take that as her way of saying no." stated Cana with a little smirk as they all watched Natsu keep trying to get Akari to let him set her down in the water so she could play. But each and every time she would just shake her head at him and hold on as tight as she could, which wasn't that tight but it did stop him from trying for a little while.

"Come on Akari, I know you're not afraid of water so why don't you want to play in it now. Why don't we just think of it as bath time?" he suggested with a smile and only received an upset look from her.

"She really is just as stubborn as you isn't she." said Minerva with a little giggle that caused the other two girls to look at her in shock.

"That she is, so I guess today won't be here first time in a pool." he replied with a little grin as Akari now smiled at him since he was no longer trying to set her down.

"Its fine Natsu, maybe she just wants to spend more time with her daddy is all." pointed out Kagura as she too noticed the smile Akari got after he stopped trying to put her in the shallow water.

"Is that what you want my little dragon?" he asked while looking down at his daughter who replied with a happy little yelp before going back to sucking on his scarf. That if he was being honest with himself was more her scarf now, which seemed right in his mind because he no longer needed it like he did when he was younger.

"So what should we do now?" asked Cana as she laid out in front of him in the shallow water that almost completely covered her, well most of her that is which he couldn't help but notice causing her to have a slight grin.

"We could go find some chairs in the main area and relax there." suggested Minerva as she sent a slight glare at Cana whose grin only got bigger after that.

"Sure, but don't you three want to go on some of the rides?" he asked while standing back up with Akari now happily babbling away.

"I think I speak for all of us when I say that we just want to spend some more time with you two." replied Kagura as she pointed at the father and daughter combo.

"Okay but now I feel like this might not have been as good of an idea as I thought it was." said Natsu with a slight frown.

"Come on Natsu, we're all enjoying ourselves. And you also get to see all three of us in our bikini's that you helped us each pick out, most men would kill to be in your place right now." said Cana as she hugged him from behind, knowing that he would definitely feel her assets firmly pressed against his back.

"I'm not like most men." he replied while trying to block out the sensation on his back as her hands roamed his abs.

"We all know that, if you were like everyone else then I'm sure none of us would even be here right now." she whispered in his ear while receiving death glares from the other two women. Both of them would have attacked if Akari wasn't in Natsu's arms happily looking around with her scarf in her mouth, but she was so they had to watch as Cana took advantage of the situation to the fullest.

"Thanks I guess Cana, so let's go find some spots to sit down and relax at." he replied while slipping out of her hug and heading for the main section of the pool with the other two now stuck to his sides. Seeing all three of them react like that caused Cana to start laughing to herself as she followed behind them thinking to herself that having some competition would make this entertaining if nothing else.

When their group got to the main section of the water park they weren't really surprised to find that all of the chairs were already occupied. But after Kagura and Minerva had a few quick words with a group of gentlemen they were more than happy to give up their spots for them and even went to get them anything they wanted from the concession stands. They at first only gave them three spots but the last one only took one look at Cana and decided to give up his spot as well.

Natsu couldn't help but feel that something was off about the other group giving up their spot like that, but he's seen guys do stranger things for beautiful women before. And the three with him right now were definitely that, although that didn't explain the slight hint of fear he smelt coming off of the men whenever they brought back food for them. But they kept smiling the whole time so he just guessed that he was reading too much into it and decided to just relax.

After sitting there and casually talking with all of them Akari seemed to no longer be as clingy to him as she was earlier. And seeing as he paid for them to be here Natsu decided that he was going to get them to at go on some of the rides at least once. So in a quick motion that caught all of the girls by surprise he passed Akari over to Minerva and pulled Cana up out of her chair with a mischievous grin.

"What are you doing Natsu?" asked Cana with a slight blush at how he quickly took control of the situation that she couldn't help but think it might be leading somewhere completely different.

"I've decided that I'm taking each of you on at least one ride with me." he said still grinning at her.

"What?" asked all of the girls together and looking at him strangely because they were all thinking along the same lines of Cana. But once again Natsu reminded them that he was constantly full of surprises.

"Yep, so you two look after Akari until we return and I know she'll be safe with the two of you." he replied with a smirk while dragging a still surprised Cana behind him.

"I thought he couldn't handle any forms of transportation?" asked Minerva as she looked over at Kagura.

"I honestly completely forgot about that, but he didn't seem to have any problems with it on the train or in the elevator at the hotel." she replied as Akari smiled at her.

"That actually counts as transportation?" asked Minerva with a little smirk.

"I think so, from what Erza told me anything that moves by itself can be considered transportation for a dragon slayer." she answered with a little smirk of her own.

"But I've seen him fly around with Happy all the time." stated Minerva as Akari perked up at the mention of Happy and started to look around for her blue friend.

"Natsu's explanation for that is friends can't be transportation." replied Kagura as she started to giggle at how odd he truly was. At hearing this Minerva couldn't help but join in, now wondering if Natsu learned some way to cure his motion sickness. If so Sting and Rogue would both do almost anything to learn that secret so they wouldn't have such a huge weakness.

"Your daddy is one of a kind Akari." she said while looking down at the little girl in her arms.

"Hap?" asked Akari with a questioning look on her face as she continued to look above them for the blue exceed.

"Did she just try and say Happy's name?" asked Kagura with an excited look in her eyes that only grew when Akari looked over at her and said "Hap?" again with a slightly sad look.

"I think she did, and sorry Honey but Happy's not here right now but I'm sure he'll be there when you return home." said Minerva in a caring tone, but had a small knot form in her stomach when Akari turned back to her with teary eyes.

"Hap!" she whimpered as tears started to come as she quietly started to cry.

"It's okay Akari, Happy's still at the guild with Millianna right now." said Kagura now right next to Minerva trying to calm down the little girl before she starts to actually cry. Something that both girls didn't want to happen since Natsu left her in their care and didn't want him to think that they neglected her because she was obviously his whole world right now. And that would probably be the easiest way to ruin any chance either of them had with him.

"Hap!" she cried out a little louder as she actually started to cry getting a few of the other people around them to look at them.

"Shh it's alright, we're both here for you and your daddy will be back any second now." said Minerva as she tried to calm down the sad little girl, but had very little effect.

"Here Akari, how about we play with your dragon." said Kagura as she pulled out the red dragon plushy and handed it to her. Only for Akari to instantly drop it and start crying even louder, making both girls start to freak out since up till this point they've only really seen her happy and if not Natsu calmed her down in a few seconds and then usually got her to go to sleep a few minutes later.

"Here, maybe she'll be happier if you're holding her." suggested Minerva as she passed her over to a stunned Kagura. But just like everything else that they tried it didn't seem to help calm her down at all.

"Akari please stop crying, we can't get you Happy because he's all the way back home." said Kagura as she mimicked what she saw Natsu do when she was just upset and started to rock her back and forth. But once again that didn't help the situation as she only got louder, making both of them start panicking since there was no way Natsu wasn't hearing this right now and was probably already destroying everything in his way to get back there.

"Would this help?" asked one of the men that they kicked out of their seats, standing to the side now holding a plushy of Happy. And just like that Akari stopped crying and was now reaching out for the plushy with a happy little expression on her face.

"Hap!" she said joyfully as the man gave it to her with a smile. All of them watched as Akari hugged it only for her to have a confused face for a little bit, causing all of them to realize she knew it wasn't the real Happy.

"Sorry Akari but this is the best that we can do." said Kagura with a hopeful smile.

"Hap?" she asked with a confused look still on her face.

"It's just a doll of him sweetie, Happy is still at the guild like Kagura said." stated Minerva, still hoping along with everyone else that she would be okay with that.

"Hap." she replied once again hugging it with a smile on her face, causing all of the people around them to let out a sigh of relief.

"Thanks for giving her that." said Kagura with a smile as she looked at the man still next to them.

"It's no problem at all, I couldn't stand seeing her that unhappy." he replied with a little grin as he looked at the girl still hugging the doll with a happy little smile on her face.

"I'm sure Natsu will really appreciate what you did for her, by the way where did you even get that doll?" asked Minerva with a smile, and noticed that the man had a slight look of fear at the mention of Natsu's name.

"I bought it at the gift shop, and I think the last thing anyone wants here is Salamander to be upset." he said with a little chuckle, as some of the stories about the fire dragon flashed through his mind. All of them having one distinct thing in common, whoever upset him usually ended up severely beaten and in the hospital.

"Well thank you again for your quick thinking because you are definitely correct about none of us wanting to see that. Especially if it's dealing with his daughter as the cause for him being that way." she replied with a slight shiver, knowing that everything he's done up till now would pale in comparison to what he would do for the little girl.

"I'm honestly just glad that it worked, so I hope you all enjoy the rest of your stay." he replied and headed off to where the rest of his friends were. All along the way getting pats on the back for getting Akari to stop crying before her daddy returned, which some of the employees were there the last time he and his friends came here and didn't want a repeat of that.

"I kind of feel bad for taking their spots." stated Kagura as she looked at the man now being treated like a hero.

"Don't be, just look at all of the attention he's getting now and some of it's even from women." pointed out Minerva with a sly grin.

"I guess, but know I'm curious as to why Natsu hasn't shown up yet." she replied while looking for a pink head of hair in the crowds.

"I think we should consider ourselves lucky that he didn't." said Minerva as she leaned back into the chair while letting out a content sigh.

 **With Natsu and Cana:**

"I should have known that something like this would happen." said Cana as she had one of Natsu's arms around her shoulder to help him walk.

"I thought I was cured since I don't get sick with Akari, and did you hear crying earlier?" asked Natsu who still looked a little sick.

"Nope and she's in really good hands Natsu, those two wouldn't let anything happen to her as long as they are still breathing. But if you're concerned we can both go back there because I don't think I want to go on another ride with you if you're just going to be sick." she replied with a little smirk at definitively being better than him in at least one thing.

"No, you're right it was probably just my imagination and I know I can do this." he replied in a determined tone as they got back in line for the couples slide. That he really didn't like all too much because of the hearts and other romantic things plastered all over it, but it was the slide that Cana wanted to go on with him so he'd suck it up and not complain.

"Well what do you do with Akari that you're not doing with me?" asked Cana as they got closer to their turn.

"I guess I'm usually just focused on her and don't really realize that I'm on a form of transportation." he replied after a few moments of thinking to himself.

"Then why don't you just try that." she suggested with a bright smile.

"Okay, but then I might have to hold onto you pretty tightly." he said with a slight blush.

"That's kind of the point of this slide." she replied with a grin while rolling her eyes at him as they were motioned for them that it was their turn.

"Fine but you can't tease me or call me perverted for doing any of this." he said while sitting down first.

"I can't believe that you actually are trying this again." stated the lifeguard in disbelief, since he saw how terrible Natsu looked after he made it to the bottom.

"Me either." replied Cana as she sat down in between his legs. And let out a little yelp when she was instantly pulled against his chest with his arms wrapped around her stomach and him resting his chin on her shoulder. This allowed him to get a good whiff of her sent and to be able to whisper in her ear, which he did right away to her surprise.

"You smell like cinnamon with a hint of booze, its nice." he whispered, causing Cana to blush and be at a loss of words. Both things rarely ever happened for the notorious drunk of Fairy Tail that most would describe as honest to a point of sometimes being seen as mean to some people.

"Here you go love birds!" said the lifeguard with a little chuckle as he pushed them down the slide. Causing the two of them to go into a laying position as they went down the slide, and to her shock she could hear Natsu chuckling as they went down. Rather than possibly ruining the moment by talking with him and reminding him that they were on a slide, Cana decided to just enjoy him holding her in this protective manner as they went down the slide. The whole time listening to him chuckle until they slid into the pool at the bottom where they finally separated.

"I can't believe that actually worked!" cheered Natsu as he burst from the water with fire now coating his fist not realizing he was heating up the water to the temperatures of a hot tube.

"That it did Natsu, but could you please try and not boil me alive." stated Cana with a slight blush as she emerged from the water as well.

"Sorry about that Cana." he apologized with a sheepish grin.

"Congratulations man, now if you could get out of there so other people could go that would be great!" shouted the lifeguard from the top of the slide.

"Sorry!" shouted Natsu as he grabbed Cana and carried her out of there bridal style, once again not noticing that he left her speechless and blushing slightly.

"Alright who's next?" asked Natsu as he set Cana down in front of the two other women that were now staring at the two of them oddly. Both wondering what in the world caused Natsu to carry her back to them like that, but once again realized that it was Natsu so it was probably smart to not even ask.

"You can go next Minerva, Akari seems pretty content right now and I enjoy holding her." stated Kagura as she looked down as said little girl who was still happily holding her Happy plushy while also sucking on her scarf.

"Are you sure about that Kagura?" asked Minerva, still wanting to make up for her past wrongs done against the woman.

"Positive, I'm also curious why Cana here is blushing while also being surprisingly quiet for once." she replied with a little smirk that made Cana a little nervous. But it let Minerva know it was completely okay, which is a good thing because Natsu never being the one to just stand around was already dragging her into the park.

"Easy now, what's got you all worked up?" asked Minerva after getting him to no longer be dragging her around.

"Cana and I figured out a way for me to ride the rides without getting sick!" he cheered with a fist thrown into the air showing how excited he was by all of this.

"So you're saying that you were still planning on going on rides with us knowing that you'd get sick?" she asked in a stunned tone, because from what she's heard it was honestly one of the worst things that you could do to a dragon slayer. Given a choice between being beaten almost to death and a ten hour train ride, ever dragon slayer would choose being beaten over riding on any form of transportation for that long.

"Yep, because I want to make sure that you all have fun. Even though you all said that you were fine with just sitting around I could tell that you all wanted to at least go on some of the slides and other rides." he replied with a warm smile that she couldn't help but reciprocate.

"You're really too caring sometimes, you know that Natsu?" she asked him while still smiling.

"No such thing Minerva, so which one do you want to ride first since you get two before I need to go back and do the same with Kagura?" he asked while looking at all of the different rides.

"Then let's go on that one." she replied, not questioning why they were going to go on two rides together. And she pointed at the one that he and Cana had already gone down twice today.

"Okay, but I feel the need to warn you that I'm going to hold on to you pretty tight for me to not get sick." he stated while happily pulling her into the line.

"I won't mind that at all." she replied with a slight blush as she noticed how all the other couples were going down the slide together.

"I didn't think you would after we pretended to be a family last night, which I really did enjoy doing with you. It made me kind of want to start looking for a mother for Akari and me. Crap I didn't mean I wanted a mom, she would be my wife and her mother." said Natsu now all flustered and stumbling over his own words with a slight blush, only to stop when he heard Minerva start giggling at him.

"You're really cute when you get worked up like that over just a slip of the tongue." teased Minerva as his blush only got worse.

"You would too if your friends called you out on that stuff right away." he replied with a slight grin, no longer embarrassed since she seemed to not care about things like that.

"I probably would if people weren't too afraid of me to point things out like that." she replied with a slight frown.

"If you want I will try and point out anything you mess up on." he stated with a grin only for her to lightly elbow him in the gut like she did a few times last night.

"I don't want that, but thanks for the offer I know you meant well by it." she said while giving him a warm smile.

"Then why did you elbow me?" he asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Habit I guess." she replied with a smirk while turning away from him.

"Well I'd really like it if we broke that habit right now." he stated with a pleading look that she didn't even look at since she was still looking away from him.

"Okay, but you have to do one thing for me." she said after turning back to him and seeing him nod his head in agreement and letting her know to continue.

"Let's do what we did last night but here when it's just the two of us." she stated nervously while looking at her feet. Not knowing if he would do something like that just to get her to stop elbowing him in the gut, but once again rather than responding he decided to let his actions speak for himself and brought her into a caring hug. That they only separated from after there was a large gap made between them and the people in front of them, but they still held hands making her smile at how right this felt to her.

And for the rest of the way through the line they held hands and she would every once and awhile rest her head on his shoulder while they stood around. But once they got to the top Minerva couldn't help but notice the weird look that the lifeguard was giving Natsu and decided to take it as a complement for herself. She thought that the man was just shocked that Natsu could be with a woman like her, but that thought was soon wiped away from her mind as they got into position and then went down the slide together feeling as if she didn't have to worry about anything while wrapped in his strong arms.

"So what ride now?" asked Natsu as he helped her out of the pool.

"What about that one." she pointed to the other couples ride that was actually a ride where a couple would get into a boat together and slowly float through a romantic tunnel together until they made it to the other side of the park.

"Doesn't look like something I'd normally ride but if that's what you want to do then I'm all fired up." he replied as he walked with a now extremely happy Minerva to a ride that took a whole ten minutes to complete. This of course caused the other two to start wondering where the two of them went.

 **With Cana, Kagura, and let's not forget about Akari:**

"So that's what happened between you two while you were all alone, you're not leaving anything out on purpose?" asked Kagura with a skeptical look.

"That's what happened, and the only thing I left out are my own private thoughts." stated Cana with a slight blush as she realized she said a little too much when Kagura couldn't help but giggle at her right now. She would have yelled at her but Akari decided to join in on the giggling, which just made it too cute and got rid of the little anger that she had.

"Sorry Cana, but you're usually so how do I want to say this? Confident and composed about things like this, I mean you were about to confess to him last night when he realized we were acting fishy." said Kagura after she stopped giggling at her friend and possible love rival as Juvia would say.

"Fi!" cheered Akari while hugging her Happy plushy with all her might causing it to say "Aye!" in his voice. A thing that none of them knew at first about the plushy that she was definitely happy to discover about her new favorite toy for the day.

"It's fine, I kind of have it coming for doing the same to you when you get all embarrassed. And I want to thank you again for doing that last night, because that probably wouldn't have been the best time to tell him that I think I like him." replied Cana as she smiled at her, surprised at how much she's opened up during their little trip together.

"You were only going to do that so I didn't have to, so how could I let you do that when what I said was kind of the truth." she said as another "Aye!" came from the Happy doll causing Akari to start giggling.

"What are friends for, and did she just try and say fish?" asked Cana with a wide smile.

"I think so, not too surprising that after daddy her next words would be Happy and Fish." stated Kagura with a big smile of her own.

"Hap Fi!" cheered Akari happily with a smile at hearing them again.

"You're forgetting about her saying mommy." whispered Cana, not wanting Akari to hear her.

"Mama?" asked Akari as she looked at both of them with a confused look, letting both of them know that she heard Cana.

"We're both here Sweetheart." said Kagura with a warm smile, trying to hide how sorry she felt for the little girl. Knowing how hard it is to be without parents, but remembering that luckily Akari had probably one of the best parents possible who would go to the ends of the world for her.

"Yeah, and soon you're daddy's going to be here as well for a little bit until he takes mommy Kagura out for their little date." said Cana in a happy little tone as Kagura instantly became extremely embarrassed at hearing all of that. And started to try and deny it but was becoming all tongue tied and couldn't get a proper sentence out as Cana quietly laughed at her.

"Shouldn't they have been back my now?" she asked after calming down and realizing that it was just Cana teasing her again.

"Now that you mention it he should have been back a long time ago, and that's even if you count in the time for waiting in those lines." said Cana as she now had a concerned look on her face as she stood up to see if she could see his distinctive hair in the swarm of people.

"If you're looking for Salamander he should be with you shortly." said a man that looked familiar to both of them.

"And how do you know this exactly?" asked Cana as she grabbed a few cards she had tucked in her bikini top. Ready to fight this stranger if he so much as moved towards them in a threatening manner.

"Sorry, I can see why you'd react like that but I'm only an employee of Sorcerer's Weekly and would like to ask you two a few questions about your relationship with Salamander." explained the man with a kind smile that was lost instantly when two deadly auras started to emanate from the two women in front of him.

"You guys can't help yourselves can you?" asked Kagura in a disgusted tone as she continued to glare at him.

"Don't answer that, and I'm going to do you a big favor and pretend that we didn't learn about any of this just right now. On the one condition that you and the rest of your crew from Sorcerer's Weekly leave this instant and don't bother us ever again while we're in town." stated Cana still ready to throw a few cards at him.

"And why would we do something like that?" asked the man trying to sound not afraid but a little squeak he let out ruined that right away.

"Because if you don't then I'll tell Natsu exactly what you've all been up to, which would probably result with him hunting each of you down and beating you up until he's confident that everything you took of us today has been destroyed. And just so you know I would actually really enjoy watching him do that to each and every one of you but it would probably ruin the rest of our vacation, which is something that I care about more." she replied while slipping away her cards leaving the man now completely terrified.

"I'd run while you still have the chance, oh and he already noticed that people were watching us since this morning. So it's only a matter of time until he figures out." stated Kagura as the man lost all color in his skin and took off in a run to go get the rest of his friends and get out of there.

"What in the world got into him?" asked Natsu while holding Minerva in his arms like he did with Cana earlier.

"No idea, but why in the world are you carrying her?" asked Cana as she pointed at a smirking Minerva.

"Because I asked him to, and why are you upset he did the same for you." replied Minerva as he set her down.

"True but I didn't ask for him to do it." she countered in a smug tone that caused Minerva to glare at her. It probably would have escalated if Natsu didn't start talking as if everything was completely normal and they weren't about to start attacking each other.

"You ready to go Kagura?" asked Natsu with a warm smile.

"Definitely but I need one of them to hold Akari." she replied with a bright smile as she came up to Cana who happily took Akari from her.

"Hap!" cheered Akari while once again squeezing the doll getting it to say it's one line.

"Did she just say Happy and when did she get a doll of him?" he asked with a shocked expression.

"At least her version of his name, and a kind man gave it to her when she was becoming cranky and wanting the real deal. She also can say fish now." stated Kagura with a bright smile, as he now had a proud grin on his face at learning all of this.

"Fi!" cheered the little girl causing the three women to smile at her while Natsu started to shake his head.

"Man, Happy is never going to let me live this one down. You really are just a troublemaker like your daddy, first you start calling me by my first name and now you go and start saying Happy's guesses at what your first words were going to be." he said now smiling at her.

"Nana." she said with a little grin, causing Minerva to start giggling while the other two looked at her with shocked facial expression because they didn't know she could say his name. Well not his actual name but her form of it, which was pretty close for how young she is.

"Okay my little dragon, you win this round but I'm going to win the next six." he declared with a grin as he grabbed Kagura's hand and headed back into the park knowing that his daughter was completely fine if she was messing with him like that. At least what he assumed was her messing with him, which it had to be because there was no way she could keep accidentally saying things like that at the perfect time.

"She's very smart for how young she is." stated Kagura nervously since she actually hasn't been alone with just Natsu at all. He usually had Akari with him, or at least another girl fawning over how cute his daughter was. But here she was now holding hands with him, while he was just in his swimming trunks and showing off his well sculpted body. Something that she couldn't help but stare at whenever she knew he wasn't looking, which caused her to have a slight blush.

"That she is, which I'm really grateful for because I don't think I could handle it if she had to go through what I did when I was just a kid." he replied while leading her to the couples slide, assuming that was where they would eventually end up anyways.

"You turned out alright." she stated looking up into his slightly sad face.

"Yeah I guess I did, but that was because I got lucky that a few people cared enough to teach me things that most people just knew." he said with a fond smile.

"Who were those people if you don't mind me asking?" asked Kagura, who wanted to know more about the dragon slayer who kept surprising her at every turn. And was nowhere near the one dimensional character that she initially thought he was after only knowing of him through stories.

"I'll always answer any of your question's Kagura. And the two that probably helped me the most were Lisanna and Erza when I first joined the guild." he replied while giving her his usual grin.

"How so?" she asked, noticing that Erza's name once again came up.

"I'll tell you that, but first which ride do you want to go on first?" he asked her while gesturing to all of the rides.

"How long of an answer will I be getting?" she asked with a little smile.

"Not too long, but if you have more questions then I'll be more than happy to answer them. Oh and sorry about holding your hand like that." he replied while rubbing the back of his head hoping that she wasn't going to be upset that he held her hand this whole time.

"I actually liked it." she mumbled to herself, only for him to chuckle and grab it again while smiling at her.

"Then I'm more than happy to keep holding it, so which one?" he asked again with a grin, since she seemed to keep forgetting about his advanced hearing.

"Let's go on that one first." she said pointing to the boat ride that he was really hoping she wouldn't pick since it was so boring. But just like with Minerva he wasn't going to complain and was just happy to see all of them getting along with each other and having a good time.

"Alright then, and to answer your earlier question Erza was the one to teach me how to write and read. And pretty much anything that you would consider standard education, honestly I think she might have been the only to be able to do that." he replied with a chuckle.

"Why do you think that?" she asked starting to fear that her earlier suspicions might be correct.

"Because she wasn't afraid to beat me until I finally got it down, and I know that sounds a little harsh which it was. But I don't know if I would have learned otherwise, I probably would have just blown it off and thought that it was just stupid and I didn't need to learn it. Luckily Erza was stronger than me at that time and did what was best for me since no one else would or even could like I said." he replied with a grin.

"She's a really good friend." she stated with a slight frown that he didn't notice.

"Yeah she was." he replied with a sad smile. Causing Kagura to almost stop completely at hearing that, wondering if that was just a mistake or did he really no longer think of her as a friend. One side of her wanted it to be the case for some very selfish reasons, while the other side knew she'd rather have them both still being friends with each other since they both helped her out a lot and were two of the few people she felt safe being around.

"Are you saying that you're no longer friends with Erza?" she asked, having come to the decision that she had to help them if she could.

"No, we're definitely still friends I guess I was just wrong about how good of friends we were. But now I need to tell you how Lisanna helped me out when I was younger. And I'm guessing that you'll probably just laugh at this but she was the one that taught me how to interact with people, which I know I'm still a little odd about. But if she didn't help me at all I would be a whole lot worse and would probably just fight people right away without even trying to figure out what's going on." he said while giving her a quick reassuring grin.

"Then I need to thank both of them, because you are one of the nicest people I've ever met. And you've only treated me with respect and courtesy that most men don't even try to do." she replied with a bright smile, wanting to make sure he knew what she thought of him.

"Thanks, so how do you want to sit in the boat? I'm only asking since most people going on this ride are couples and like holding each other." he asked slightly nervous, causing her to relax a little knowing that he was kind of just like her with these things.

"I wouldn't mind sitting that way either." she replied with her blush once again reappearing.

"Alright, because I've been told a lot that I'm not the best with realizing when I'm invading someone else's personal space." he said with a little chuckle as they were ushered into a boat together. With him taking a seat first and for her to then awkwardly sit next to him but not touch him at all. Seeing this and how nervous she was Natsu decided he'd help her out and get her into the position that Minerva went to with no problems and seemed to enjoy.

So he slid one arm around her backside and pulled her in so she was right next to him and actually touching him now. And then he gently grabbed both of her shoulders and moved her so she was now leaning against his chest on the right side. The final touch was once again slipping his right arm around her backside and then holding out his left one for her to hold if she wanted to, which she did with a bright blush now clearly on her cheeks.

And for the next five minutes they stayed like that, both just enjoying the company that they were sharing with each other as they silently went through the tunnel. Until Kagura realized that this was an ideal time to ask him a few more questions while they were alone and no one could interrupt them, which is what she did and was happy that he seemed happy to answer them.

 **With the others:**

"Is this how long it took when I was with him?" asked Minerva with an impatient tone in her voice as she paced back and forth.

"This is about half the time it took for you two right now, isn't that right Akari?" replied Cana as she smiled down at Akari who did one of her happy little yelps as a response.

"But you were only gone with him for just a few minutes." she stated as she took her seat with an exhausted sigh.

"Yep, makes me wonder what the two of you are getting him to do with you." said Cana as she gave Minerva a sly grin.

"You know, just things that couples would do." she replied with a smirk, hoping to get under her skin.

"Figured as much, and I bet Kagura is doing the exact same thing right now. But she's doing all of it in that nervous way of hers that some men like over a woman who usually takes charge." responded Cana with a bigger grin as Minerva now looked a little scared.

"You don't think Natsu is one of those guys?" she asked now moving over to the chair right beside the two of them.

"Honestly I have no idea with that man, because if I did then I would probably have him to myself by now. But considering that he's usually around women like Erza and Mira most of the time I would think that he could be into that thing. Then again that could also be the exact opposite and make him want to look for a girl that isn't so confident in all of her actions." answered Cana, enjoying how Minerva hung on her every word.

"That doesn't really help, and why aren't you concerned about this since you clearly have a thing for him like the rest of us?" asked Minerva, finding Cana's laid back attitude annoying when most women would be at least be doing something about all of this.

"I'd like to consider myself right in the middle of those two extremes which means I'm fine either way. Also we're in the same guild so even if he starts to like one of you more on this trip I'll make up for that by being around him more often than either of you two. I just have to be concerned about the other females at the guild." she said in a smug tone while adjusting Akari in her lap.

"You've just made a terrible mistake Cana; you should know what happens when someone is too confident. I mean isn't that why most of Fairy Tail's enemies fall to you guys, they always think they have everything planned out perfectly until Natsu or someone else does something completely unexpected?" said Minerva with a smug grin now on her face as Cana realized she was right and no longer looked so confident.

"Good point, thanks for pointing that out to me." she replied with a fake smile.

"Glad to help, but that's the only time it'll ever happen again when concerning who's going to be with him." stated Minerva, now mad at herself for pointing that out when she could have just let Cana continue on with her confident attitude.

"The same goes for me, but you're already behind since Akari is already calling me mommy." said Cana hoping that it would possibly cause Minerva to back off. But the grin she had on her face told her that was definitely not going to happen.

"So you're one of the other girls that she's said that to, I guess Kagura is as well." stated Minerva still grinning.

"Yes and judging from that grin I guess she said that to you as well." she replied only for Minerva to nod her head.

"Do you have any idea why she's doing that?" she asked while giving the little girl a sad smile, happy that she was apparently not paying attention to what they were talking about and just happily playing with her Happy doll.

"Natsu thinks it might be because we all remind her about her real mother in some way, which is sad that she won't get to actually know her." answered Minerva once again thinking about how similar she was to the little girl.

"It really was a terrible thing for him to find, but leave it to Natsu to take her in as his own without a second thought. It's really hard to grow up with just one parent, but if that parent is him then there's nothing for anyone to really be worried about." she replied only to look up at the shocked face of Minerva.

"She's not actually his?" she asked in a whisper, causing Cana to realize she might have messed up really big here.

"Yes, and from how you were just talking before I thought you knew that already. Okay Minerva you have to promise me that you'll never repeat any of this to anyone again and you're not doing this for me but for Akari. Because whatever happened that day has Natsu scared for her safety and he's someone that doesn't get scared too easy, but this time he barely even told the guild about what happened." stated Cana with a pleading look, hoping that Minerva would listen to her.

"Of course I will, I don't think I could live with myself if something happened to her because of me. But I'm kind of glad that I know since I was extremely curious at who Natsu would actually have a kid with." she stated with a slight smile towards the end.

"That's something I'm afraid a lot more women are going to be trying to find out after that article about him gets out. But luckily that isn't going to happen for at least a month so we still have time." said Cana with a look of relief now being on her face.

"We?" asked Minerva with a sultry grin that Cana instantly picked up on and couldn't help but blush at.

"Not like that you sicko, what I meant was that one of us could have him because as much as I'd hate to admit this. But I would much rather see him with someone that truly cares about him and can actually help him protect and raise Akari as she grows up. And most of the other women that might be coming after him won't be able to do any of that." she explained in a slightly embarrassed tone because of what she thought Minerva meant by we.

"I can see your point, but I think Natsu might be interested in that first thought of yours." teased Minerva as a complete look of horror came over Cana's face.

"I said no such thing, and don't you dare tell him that I did!" she hissed at her, only to then watch as she burst into laughter.

"Oh man that was too funny Cana, and even if you didn't say it that blush you had a little bit ago sure told me that you thought about it." said Minerva while still holding her sides from laughing so much.

"Not a word you hear me." declared Cana as she glared at her.

"Glad to see you two seem to be getting along really well together." stated Natsu as he set Kagura down since she too decided to be carried by him.

"Yep, we're the best of friends now isn't that right Cana? Some might say we're extremely close." said Minerva clearly enjoying the whole situation that Cana just put herself in.

"Natsu, you spent more time with them." said Cana quickly as she passed a confused Akari to Minerva only to grab an extremely confused Natsu and drag him away before Minerva could say anymore.

"What was that all about?" asked Kagura as she took a seat next to Minerva.

"Just a little fun, nothing to be too concerned about." she replied now starting to play with the little girl that was almost thrown at her.

"I think I should know if it got her of all people acting that strange." stated Kagura as she slightly glared at Minerva.

"Fine, so we were both discussing how we're all going after Natsu since he's one of a kind. And along the way things got slightly confused and it sounded like she would be okay with sharing him with the both of us which is crazy right?" she explained only to look up after not getting a reply for a few moments. And there sitting across from her was a completely red faced Kagura who was apparently overloaded by the mere idea of that and what it would mean. It probably didn't help her at all that Erza happened to let her borrow some of those books of her that she never would have guessed a person like Erza to read.

"What in the world is wrong with you two, more importantly what could both of you be thinking about that caused you both to start blushing like that?" asked Minerva knowing that she wasn't going to get an answer from Kagura anytime soon and really doubted that she would get it from Cana either if her sudden departure was a good indicator at all.

"Dada?" asked Akari with a confused expression.

"Yep, your daddy's the one to blame for both of them acting so weird about this. Actually that's not completely true since he doesn't even know about this little joke. But after seeing their reactions I wouldn't mind seeing what he would do if he heard this." said Minerva in a baby voice as she went back to playing with Akari and her Happy doll.

 **End of Chapter**

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Thanks for reading and I'm sorry about the long time it took for me to update this story. For some reason in the middle of this chapter I just felt like writing for absolutely any one of my other stories, which I decided to do rather than force it for this one. So yeah I'm not too sure how I feel about this chapter since something like that has never happened to me before since I usually only work on just one chapter until I finish it, but that didn't happen for this one. So it would be great if you let me know how it turned out so if that happens again I'll know if I should just scrap it and start all over again. Oh and to be clear just because I started a new story with Natsu being paired with Kagura doesn't mean she's removed from this one. I've only not done any double ups on pairing so far because I honestly like him with so many different women that I feel they each should eventually have their own stories with him. And hopefully I'll eventually be able to do that in the future, so as I always tell you guys feel free to leave me a review or PM and I'll respond back to you as soon as I can.**

 **Until the next Chapter**

 **Digem Out!**


	12. A Little Misunderstanding

Ch 12: A Little Misunderstanding

 **One month later:**

The rest of their stay at Crocus was quite enjoyable for everyone in their little group; they finished off their day at the water park by going to a restaurant together. Of course it ended with Natsu being banned for life from there due to him single handedly eating all of the food they had in stock for the day. Their next and final day at the capital consisted of them just walking around the city and going to a few shops and overall just spending the day together with each other.

After that they went their separate ways, well that was at least what Natsu thought was going to happen with Kagura and Minerva. But Kagura decided to make the trip back with them and said that it was only to meet back up with Millianna and make sure that she got home safely. Of course this was a complete lie but Natsu honestly didn't care since he enjoyed her company and knew that Akari did too. Once they got back he decided to head straight home since the whole vacation thing took a lot out of him, this allowed the other two women to head into the guild and quickly learn what had happened while they were gone. Overall the only thing that happened that either of them cared about was the setup of the schedule of who would be guarding the two Dragneels during the upcoming month and for how long.

And just like that the Dragneels had someone with them at all times of the day for the next whole month, with no signs of it changing anytime soon. Of course most of the time there was actually more than just the one guild member that was assigned to watch over them during the day, something that Natsu had actually gotten quite used to since he got Akari. Surprisingly though Gajeel and Laxus both even agreed to this and between the two of them they covered two weeks. Natsu had a strange suspicion that they might have been doing this to not suffer the wrath of all the Fairy Tail women turning on them; this was more than likely how Laxus was convinced into doing it. While Gajeel on the other hand really enjoyed it since this just allowed him to spend more time with Levy and Asuka than he already was which actually took up almost all of his free time as it is.

Currently the Dragneels where at the train station biding Kagura farewell after staying with them for the past week. During her stay with them they learned that she was actually a pretty decent cook, something that Natsu really didn't expect since Erza is just awful at cooking and he thought it might be a swordswoman thing. Other than that nothing really stood out about her visit except for her not wearing her usual outfit at all during her whole stay with them. Something that Natsu took note of, along with her having a smile spread across her face for most of the time as well, while they just went about their daily routine.

"Thanks for doing this Kagura and we really enjoyed spending this week with you." said Natsu with his signature grin as Akari let out a happy little yelp.

"It's no problem at all Natsu and I really enjoyed it as well. I just wish I didn't have to leave so soon but I do still have my responsibilities at Mermaid Heel." replied Kagura with a slight blush and a nervous smile.

"You know that you're more than welcome here whenever you want to stop by. Even if it's not your scheduled time to be our extra bit of protection." he responded while adjusting Akari into a better position.

This of course only caused her current blush to deepen to a darker shade as she tried to regain her composure. But she was having a little bit of difficulty since Natsu didn't seem to even notice how he affected her with simple comments like that. "T-thanks Natsu, I might just have to take you up on that offer." she finally replied while giving the two a big smile as she made her way to the train.

"Can you say bye to Kagura?" he asked with a huge smile as he looked down at his daughter. Who was smiling back at him, surprisingly without her scarf in her mouth like it usually was at most times of the day. Akari let out another happy little yelp and with the help of her father gave the departing woman a little wave.

"Goodbye Akari and I'll probably be back in two weeks since that should be enough time for me to fulfill my duties at my guild." she stated now having a very determined look in her eyes as she stood in the door way of the train.

She lost that determined look when all of a sudden Natsu was chuckling to himself, something that she instantly attributed to him not believing her or something along those lines. This caused her to soon have a frown spread across her once stern face as her head dropped. "Kagura you don't need to work yourself any harder than you already do just for the two of us. Also we would feel awful if you got hurt because of that, so please don't try and take things any faster than you normally would. Besides, you've already seen how often we have people visiting us even with you being with us." said Natsu now with a serious expression on his face as he looked at her in the eyes as a shocked expression took form over her face.

"I know, but I'm still worried." she replied, once again becoming a little flustered since he was more concerned about her right now. And was also able to figure out why she was going to try and rush things, well at least one part of her reason at least and she hoped to keep it that way for a little longer for the time being.

"Unfortunately I kind of have a track record that supports that being a valid concern. But like I said before, there is always someone with the two of us now and you've seen how serious Erza is taking all of this. That alone has to make you feel a little better about the two of us being safe." he replied with a confident grin.

Just from seeing that grin of his Kagura was able to once again smile at him. But that only lasted until he mentioned Erza, who she couldn't help but believe might actually have feelings for the dragon slayer. And the last thing she needed was more competition than she already had for him, granted she thought of Erza like a sister but that only made her current thoughts and feelings right now more confusing for her.

"Yeah I guess you're right, so I'll see you two once I wrap things up." she responded with a forced smile that Natsu could instantly tell wasn't real for her. But before he could ask her about it the train let out a whistle and started to move as the doors closed in between them. Allowing the last thing to happen between the two of them being Kagura waving as the train slowly made its way out of the station.

"Kagura what aren't you telling me?" asked Natsu with a slight frown as train was now completely out of the station.

"Mama?" asked Akari while looking up at him with a confused expression.

"I still really want to know why you feel the need to call all three of them that Akari. I mean you will sometimes even call me by my first name, yet you won't even try and call them by their actual names." he stated with a little smirk.

"Nana!" she cheered back, which only caused his smirk to grow even more. Knowing that he was honestly really fortunate to find Akari and have a new purpose that just seems so right to him.

"Oh so daddy's little dragon wants to get tickled again does she?" he said while he started to tickle her little tummy as they headed out of the train station together. All the while Akari letting out cheerful laughter as her father continued to tickle her to his heart's content as he decided to go and see what was happening at the guild.

A few minutes later a train pulled in that let off its passengers that where from all over the country. But the final person to exit the train was from the final car of the train that which was a very expensive luxury box that was rarely used due to its cost. So it wasn't that much of a surprise that everyone still in the train station wanted to see the person who could travel in such style.

And after gazing upon her they could definitely see someone as beautiful and elegant as her spending a lot more to not have to deal with constantly being hit on. Well at least by those who didn't know who she was, since most men would be a little intimidated by one of the contenders for the strongest female mages in the country. She was wearing a very expensive dress that showed off her curvaceous form that any woman would have killed for, which also included her gorgeous hair and skin that with the dress made her look like she could be royalty.

"Sir could you please direct me to the home of Natsu Dragneel." she asked with a smile that for some reason caused everyone watching to feel a shiver go up their spin. All of them glad to not be the man she was currently standing in front of and asking a question that none of them knew since the dragon slayer didn't live in the actual city.

"Sorry Ma'am but that information isn't really public knowledge, but I'm sure that at least one of his fellow guild members could give you directions." he replied in a nervous tone as he started to sweat uncontrollably under her gaze.

"I see, then would you be so kind as to give me directions to Fairy Tail since I've never been here before." she asked while still keeping the same smile as before. That they all could tell was hiding the fact that this woman had insane amount of power and was someone that none of them wanted to ever mess with.

"Just head north from here and you can't miss it." he stuttered out. And then let out a loud sigh of relief as the woman decided to not say anything else to him head off in the direction that he instructed her to. But his relief was short lived when the lady turned around and was smirking at him.

"Thanks Sir, you were a really big help." she stated with an amused tone, clearly enjoying how he and everyone else was reacting to her presence. She planned on having a little more fun with him but a magazine kiosk to the side caught her eye due the cover containing a picture of the two people she had come to see.

"When did this magazine come out?" she asked as she held up one of the last copies of the newest issue of Sorcerer's Weekly.

"Just today Ma'am and I think that might be one of the few remaining copies in the city. It is easily the best selling one they've had for a long time now, but considering that it actually has an interview with Salamander I'm not really surprised. Also revealing to the whole world that he now has a daughter is something that would get most people interested enough to read it." he replied with a friendly smile. Only for a wad of jewels to be tossed at him as the woman turned away from him and started to leave the train station while flipping through the magazine to try and find the cover article.

"Ma'am this is way more than the price of that magazine!" he shouted at her retreating figure as she continued to walk away without even hearing him or stopping. Since he couldn't just leave his stand unattended, the man pocketed the extra jewels with a smirk and considered them a very generous tip.

 **At Fairy Tail a few minutes earlier:**

Before he even opened the doors to the guild hall he could tell that something was off, and what tipped him off to this was due to how quiet it was when compared to how rambunctious it usual is. There were no sings of the usual guild brawl going on, or even the constant drunk chatter of guild members telling each other about their last job. Currently all he could hear coming from the guild hall was quiet whispers as if everyone was trying to be quiet for some reason, which at the moment he really couldn't figure out why that was.

"Well Akari, I guess we might as well go in." stated Natsu as he looked down at his daughter with a big grin. The response he got back from her was non-coherent yet still happy baby babbling as she smiled back up at him. So with the same grin on his face Natsu quietly opened the door, which would have shocked the whole guild on a normal day but today was anything but that.

"Hi everyone!" he said as he looked around the guild and instantly figured out why the whole guild was so quiet. Every member had their noses buried in the newest Sorcerer's Weekly, which he knew meant that they had to have released the one about Akari and him. Otherwise ninety percent of the people in the guild wouldn't waste their jewels on the magazine and would put those jewels to having another drink.

"Hello Natsu and Akari!" replied Mira from behind the bar with her usual smile.

"I take it that my interview is in this issue." he stated while walking over to her with only a few of the other member realizing that he was actually there.

"Yes it is, and I think Jason did a really good job of it if I do say so myself." she answered while pulling out his favorite order. Making him wonder if she somehow knew he was paying the guild a visit today or did she always have one on standby for him.

"Thanks Mira, and what makes you think that?" he asked as he started to dig into his meal. But after the first bite an upset whine came from the little girl in his arms, letting him know that she wanted to eat if he was. Something that he learned over the past two months with her, he also learned that she seemed to have a bottomless pit like him when it came to eating.

"Did you think I would forget about my favorite little girl Akari?" she asked with an extremely happy smile on her face as she brought out a bottle of milk. This instantly caused the little girl to start reaching out for it while cheering "Baba!" over and over again. Of course this caused the barmaid to start giggling at her as Natsu passed her over the counter so that she could be fed properly by Mira.

"You really like feeding her don't you." said Natsu in between bites of the steak and eggs that he was given just seconds ago.

"Yep, it's the only time I get to hold her without you touching her." she replied with a bright smile while not taking her eyes off the little girl in her arms.

"That's because she is like me in that regard and can only focus on one thing at a time. And food is one of her top priorities at the moment. But you still haven't answered my earlier question about why you thought Jason did a good job on his article of me." he stated with a smirk as he continued to eat while watching her feed his daughter with one of the happiest smiles he's ever seen on her.

"So you haven't read it yet?" she asked while giving him a quick glance. During which he shook his head no as he continued to eat his meal with a pleasant grin spread across his lips.

"Well for starters it really makes you sound like the perfect dad from what he observed during you interview. Not to mention that little threat of yours to take on anyone that might try and harm her even if it meant that you had to leave Fairy Tail." said the barmaid with a proud smirk as she continued to feed Akari.

"Anything else?" asked Natsu as he pushed aside the now empty plate with a little smirk.

"He also did a good job retelling all of your previous adventures and made you look quite heroic in the process even though he still wrote down how much damage you caused during them. But overall he made it sound like if you didn't do what you did then things could have definitely gotten a lot worse. So don't be surprised if your little fan group gets a lot bigger after all of this." she replied with a little wink, which caused him to scoff at her.

"Well considering that I'm not going to be active for quite a while I imagine that it won't last that long." he stated as he glanced around the guild and noticed that a few members seemed to look away as if they were staring at him before. And for some reason this bothered him since he really didn't understand why they would feel the need to look away if they were looking at him.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that Natsu, I have a feeling that most of your new fans are going to be very understanding and might even try to start dating you. I mean even I kind of want to after reading that article, you really let it all out and showed more emotions than most men do in their entire lives. While also conveying that you could possibly love someone like that again and will not let anything like that happen again to your new woman or Akari." she said with a sly grin as Natsu actually started to cough and blush at her little declaration of being interested in him. He was now wondering if she was just messing with him like she has been known to do, but from the look in her eyes he could tell that she was being completely honest with him which made him even more flustered.

Mira just sat back quietly giggling to herself as he was blushing up a storm and having a hard time coming up with a response to her. That is until he suddenly stopped and looked confused until he turned back to her with a determined look now on his face. "What in the world do you mean about loving someone like that again?" he asked her with an eyebrow raised questioningly.

"Exactly that Natsu, the article made it sound that even after losing the love of your life you would still be open to trying to have that again. And it also made it sound like there already might be three women who are possible candidates for being the next Mrs. Dragneel in the future." answered Mira in a cheerful tone as she gave him a knowing look.

"But she wasn't the love of my life Mira, I just happened to be there at the right time to save Akari. You know this already and why the hell is everyone trying to look at me while also trying to not be caught in the act?" asked Natsu in a slightly upset tone as he glared at the platinum haired beauty holding his daughter.

"Oh we all know that Natsu, but apparently your little story about her was good enough to fool Jason which is actually quiet the accomplishment. He's usually able to tell when someone is lying to him during an interview and if he does then he won't use any of that stuff in the article he's writing. Honestly even after knowing that you never were with Akari's mom I found myself wanting to believe what he wrote." she replied while continuing to feed the little girl in her arms.

"Well it wasn't all a lie so maybe that's why he didn't detect it, and you know that still doesn't explain why the rest of the guild is acting so odd." he stated as he once again looked around. He easily noticed most of the members trying to hide the fact that they were staring at him before he turned around.

"I think they are all just finally realizing that there has always been more to you than what they originally thought. Jason was able to capture a lot about who you really are from that little interview of yours, granted he's known about all of your past adventures. But after hearing your side he was able to put it to words so that everyone could understand why you've somehow never given up when most would have in your position." she answered with a grin as Akari finished off the bottle she was drinking. And after doing so she instantly started to get cranky since she couldn't sense her father holding her or even touching her anymore.

So with a little chuckle he reached out to her and tickled her stomach before she could start crying, instead eliciting giddy giggles from the little girl who then grabbed his finger after he stopped. "I really don't see how that would actually change how they see me since I've never tried to hide any of that before." he said with a loving smile directed at his precious little bundle of joy.

"That's true Natsu, but you've never been really good at telling others your thoughts or feelings and have always relied on your actions speaking for you. And because of that most of the members actually didn't understand your reasons behind said actions, but after that article they have a better understanding now." She explained while she continued to hold Akari, who seemed to really want to go back to her father's arms.

Seeing this Natsu couldn't help but smile at her and scoop her out of the arms of the barmaid and give her a little toss in the air before bringing her into her usual spot. Of course this caused Mira to let out a little gasp in fear for the toddler's safety, but that was instantly washed away once she heard the giggles of pure joy coming from the girl. "I guess that is just another thing I need to work on so there are no misunderstandings between me and Akari later on." said Natsu as he gave Mira a reassuring smile and then turned around so he could lean against the bar and look at the rest of the guild.

"I have a feeling you won't have a problem with that when it comes to her." Replied Mira as she looked at the two who looked completely content and happy just being with each other.

"That would definitely be nice, hey Mira, where are Erza and the rest of the usual group?" he asked after finally noticing that a large chunk of the core members weren't in the guild at the moment.

"Some of them usually don't show up this early, while I think a few of them might have gone to your house but must have just missed you. So I suspect that group will come rushing back in here any minute now." she answered as she went back to cleaning the bar like she usually does when there are no orders for her to do.

"Man I think I need to come to the guild more often these days since I have no idea what in the world is going on." he stated with a smirk while he shook his head.

"Dada!" cheered Akari to get his attention back on her, which worked every time without fail.

"I'm sure that everyone would appreciate that Natsu, but we all understand that your first priority is now centered on this little cutie. Besides, I am confident that the only reason things seem so different around here right now is due to that article about you." said Mira as she gave Akari a little poke on one of her chubby cheeks.

"It sounds like I might have to read that darn article about me if I want to understand why everyone except for you is acting so weird right now." he replied after letting out a small sigh, as Mira couldn't help but chuckle at him right now.

"I have a copy right here if you want to start reading it." she replied as she watched him start sniffing the air. Only to then stop as a little smirk made its way across his face after obviously figuring out what it was that his nose picked up just now.

"No thanks Mira, I have a feeling that Akari and I will be too busy in a few moments." he responded as he set his eyes on the door as the barmaid couldn't help but also turn to look at the door. Both of them waited for a few moments in silence, and just when Mira thought no one was going to enter the guild like Natsu hinted at they were slowly opened. This act alone caused most members to turn to see who it was since they are usually thrown open if it was just another member returning to the guild after a job.

"Minerva!" was the shocked statement coming out of most of the members looking at the woman standing in their door way. Most of them were so shocked to see her show up at the guild unexpectedly like this, that they didn't notice the slightly nervous look she displayed to them as she tried to find the two people she came to see.

"Hi everyone, I was in the neighborhood and decided to stop by for a little visit." said Minerva in a softer tone than what they were used to hearing from her. But before any of them could even register that they were completely thrown for a loop when a large and happy smile spread across her face as she locked eyes with their resident fire dragon slayer.

"Are you sure you didn't just swing by to see this little cutie?" asked Natsu with a smirk as he adjusted Akari. Whose eyes lit up at the sight of Minerva as she started to reach out for the woman on the other side of the guild.

"Mama!" cheered the little tike as she continued to try and get to her while still clutching to her father. That little cheer caused all but Natsu and Minerva to freeze whatever it was that they were doing and look at the three of them with wide eyes. All the while wondering what in the world was happening since this made some of the things they had just read in the current Sorcerer's Weekly nowhere near as unbelievable as they originally thought.

"Why hello there sweetie, did you miss me that much?" asked Minerva as they met up in the middle of the guild hall. None of them really noticing how eerily quiet it had just become in the guild as Akari was passed off to her and the two of them started to interact with each other.

"I would have to say that she really did miss you Minerva, so you should see if you can come by more often." he said still grinning at the two of them. Wondering how his little daughter seemed to be able to make almost anyone happier than he has ever seen them before, just by letting them hold her for a few minutes. But considering how happy she makes him it wasn't that surprising for her to have that same effect on others.

"I think I might just have to do that Natsu. But you do realize that you two could also come and visit me someday as well. And if you did you could take her to my guild as well since I'm confident that a lot of them are already dying to meet her, especially after that article." she replied with a sly grin flashing across her face for a brief second. Only for it to go straight back to a huge smile as she focused almost all of her attention on the little girl in her arms.

"Since the whole country now knows about her I see no reason why we couldn't stop by and say hi to a few of them. It's been a long time since I've seen most of them and does that also mean you've read the newest Sorcerer's Weekly already?" he asked while finally taking notice of how quiet the guild hall was currently.

"Yes it does and judging by how everyone else is acting except for you, I can only assume that you are the only one here who hasn't read it yet." answered Minerva as she gave him a quick smirk.

"Why would I need to read something about myself anyways? And from what Mira told me it was a really good article that accurately depicts me and my feelings." he stated as he started to lead her to the door of the guild since he didn't really like being the center of attention like this. Natsu was more comfortable with being the center of attention when it was chaotic and hectic in the guild, not the pure silence that was spread across the guild currently.

Minerva on the other hand didn't even notice everyone staring at them silently since she was more concerned about what Natsu just told her. Because she had indeed read the article that also featured a big part to her and said dragon slayer about possibly being in a current relationship. "You really need to read something before you say things like that Natsu." she stated while glancing back at the barmaid. Who just so happened to have a devious grin spread across her lips as she pretended to be busy cleaning some mugs.

"I'll read it eventually Minerva, but I trust Mira. If she said it accurately depicted me and why I do the things that I do, then it's correct since she knows me better than most people do." he replied with confident grin as he opened the doors for them to exit through.

"Thanks Natsu and I take it you'll be showing Minerva around the town?" sang out Mira from behind the bar with that look she got when she believed that there might be a new couple forming soon.

"As long as it's okay with you that is." he replied as he locked eyes with the Sabretooth mage. Who couldn't help but grin back at how excited he looked at the prospect of giving her a tour of his home town. "I'd love to, I mean no woman in their right mind could turn down such a hunk and his adorable daughter giving her a private tour of Magnolia." she replied with a blush just barely gracing her beautiful face. This of course wasn't missed by Mira who had a really hard time stifling a squeal of joy escaping from her mouth as she thought about the two starting a family.

"Alright, then let's get going since you're not going to get the normal tour. You're receiving it from you yours truly." he said as he surprised everyone by doing something that everyone believed would result with him losing an arm. And that was slipping an arm around Minerva's waist and then leading her out of the guild before anyone could even comment on his shocking and also courageous action. But considering that none of them were hearing pain filled cries coming from outside they could only conclude that he was indeed fine after doing something so bold, or at least what they believed to be bold considering who he did it to.

"Did that just happen?" asked Macao effectively breaking the whole guild out of their stunned silence.

"That it did, and to think that just a few months ago he didn't seem to even notice the fairer sex." stated Makarov with a few proud tears coming out, that he quickly wiped away with the back of his arm. Now thinking that he might have never been more wrong about something before in his life than when he tried to get the boy to give up the girl back then. And from seeing how much their destruction diminished and how the dragon slayer has changed for the better since that day, he couldn't see it any other way.

"They grow up so fast." said Wakaba with a sly grin spread across his face. Remembering the day when he and Macao tried to give the talk to Natsu when he was younger, but as expected of the rambunctious child he didn't seem to care about such things at that age and didn't pay attention to them.

"Wait a minute, does that mean the article was correct about those two?" asked a random member. This instantly caused everyone to start sharing their opinions on that comment at the same time, which made the guild to once again go back to its usual chaotic state. And it stayed that way for a few minutes since Erza wasn't there to bring back order, and the two other people capable of calming down the guild seemed more than content to let this play out.

"Don't you think that one of us should bring back order to the guild, Master?" asked Mira with a bright smile as she watched an actual brawl start because of two members believing that they were correct on this little issue.

"And possibly bring an end to the guild being as chaotic as it used to be. I don't think so Mira, besides sooner or later Erza and the rest of them will show up and put a stop to all of this." he replied with a grin before taking a huge swig from his mug.

"Master I don't think you have actually thought this through, because from what I could tell most of them were concerned about what the article said about Natsu possibly leaving. And once they learn that Minerva stopped by randomly to see him out of the blue you know that they are instantly going to believe it's true." she stated with a slightly concerned look, knowing that what she just said was most likely going to happen.

Upon hearing this Makarov went extremely pale as visions of the possible destruction that this little misunderstanding was sure to cause. "You're right, we need to stop this right now." he shouted out with a concerned look on his face, realizing that all the jewels that he didn't lose recently because of Natsu no longer being an active mage might be lost in a single day. But before either of them could make a move to calm down the rest of the guild the doors were blown off by the group of members that went to the dragon slayer's house earlier to demand answers from him.

"Where is he?" asked a clearly irritated Erza, who happened to blame Natsu for not being at his house like she wanted him to be. And from the appearances of the rest of the group she wasn't the only one slightly freaking out about the rumor of him possibly leaving the guild.

"He just left a few minutes ago and I bet you would never be able to guess who he left with." stated Wakaba, only to instantly regret that he was the first one to speak up. Because in the blink of an eye he was being lifted up by Erza who had a look that screamed she wasn't messing around anymore.

"Tell me right now Wakaba who he left with, or so help me you won't be able to even smoke for the next month." she said in a completely monotone voice, which only freaked out everyone else even more than they already were.

"Minerva." he squeaked out as he was then dropped to the ground by a stunned knight.

"He's actually in a relationship with her." she said with a shocked expression, finding all of this to be happening too fast.

"For crying out loud Erza this is Natsu we're talking about here." said Cana, who was inwardly freaking out a little bit since Minerva pretty much said to her and Kagura that she was interested in him. Although she was operating under the assumption that they hadn't seen each other since their trip to Crocus last month, but if this actually was happening then maybe they were secretly meeting somehow.

"I wouldn't be too sure about Cana, from what we saw…" started a random member until Makarov cut him off.

"Settle down everyone, Minerva and Natsu are just friends and nothing more. And the idea of him leaving Fairy Tail is just laughable so there is no reason to get worked up about this." stated the elderly guild Master, hoping against all hopes that this would be the end of it.

But he knew better than to believe that his children would take a moment and think rationally about this. "How in the world do you know that Master, and you can no longer say that about Natsu after we tried to take Akari from him." said Erza with a guilty look washing over her face. Makarov was about to argue with her about that but someone else decided to take the floor and voice their opinion, which was from the only person not aboard the Natsu being a father train yet.

"What in the world are you all freaking out about, so what if the idiot decides to leave the guild? It's not like he's went on any jobs since he's gotten that little girl of his, so if you ask me good riddance to dead weight." voiced Gray from his booth in the corner, once again not caring at all about the vast majority of the guild glaring at him.

"Gray how could you say that about Natsu, he's our teammate?" asked Lucy now in front of him with her hand slammed on the table.

"Like I said before Lucy he hasn't done a job with us since she showed up, which means to me at least that we are no longer on teammates anymore. And I can't believe I'm the one actually saying this, but shouldn't we respect his personal life and leave him to his new woman." he replied, causing most of the guild to remain quiet for a few minutes because he did have a point there.

"Yes Gray, but he's still a member of Fairy Tail which means he and Akari are family. So it's our job to worry about them and make sure they don't make a monumental mistake." stated Cana with a slight smile.

"Are you sure you aren't just saying that Cana because you want him to stay at the guild so you can have him all to yourself?" asked Mira with a mischievous smile, that didn't fade as Cana started to deny her allegation.

"Wait a minute, why were you contradicting Cana on Natsu and Minerva being an item?" asked Erza as she heatedly glared at the member who spoke up earlier and was now regretting that decision just like Wakaba. This of course caused Makarov to start mumbling slight curses to himself as Mira couldn't help but start laughing at what was soon going to be happening.

"W-well y-y-you see f-from what I could t-tell i-it seemed like he knew w-what he was d-doing." stuttered out the poor mage as more than just Erza glared at him.

"Care to elaborate on that more?" she asked, even though everyone knew it was definitely more of a command, something that was definitely not missed by the mage who looked like he was ready to piss himself.

"The two looked like an actual couple with her holding Akari while Natsu had his arm around her waist. Akari even called her mama and she seemed really happy when they left like that." shouted out the mage quickly before booking it towards the door. But rather than escaping through it like he thought he would he was launched to the other side of the room thanks to their new visitors.

"That has to be a lie!" shouted Sting now standing in the doorway with the rest of his team from the Grand Magic Games. Well except for Minerva since she was currently having the time of her life with Natsu and Akari as they showed her their favorite locations of Magnolia.

"Well it isn't lightbulb, and why the hell are you guys even here?" asked Gray, apparently the only one not too shocked by Sabretooth's sudden appearance to speak.

"We're here because of this." stated Rogue in a bored tone as he held up a copy of Sorcerer's Weekly, clearly dragged along with the rest of the group against his will.

"So you guys are trying to steal Natsu from us." accused a random member.

"What in the world are you idiots talking about? We're here to prevent you guys from taking Minerva from us." declared Rufus as he glared at them.

"Why in the world would we ever do that?" asked Cana with a slight scoff.

"Don't mind her, she's only saying that since she doesn't want any more competition over Natsu and Akari." stated Mira with a bright smile.

"Mira you are definitely not helping anything by saying that." sighed Makarov as he already accepted that this was all most likely going to end in a ginormous bill addressed to Fairy Tail.

"I know Master, but look at the reaction." chirped Mira still smiling as she motioned to the large argument taking place at the entrance.

 **At the other side of the town:**

"Why did you all of a sudden stop walking Natsu?" asked Minerva as she came to a stop next to him with a concerned look.

"Did you come by yourself?" he asked while taking a few large sniffs of the air.

"I did, since I wanted some alone time with just the two of you. Why are you just now deciding to ask me that question?" she asked as Akari cheered "Nana!" from her arms causing her to start snickering as Natsu just rolled his eyes.

"Well it seems that a few of them decided to follow you here." he stated as they once again resumed walking together.

"I knew I should have kept me coming here a secret." hissed Minerva, already thinking about how she would punish Yukino and Rogue for blabbing about it.

"Should we go and see why they came?" he asked with a concerned look now taking place on his face, that was usually a face of pure joy and happiness.

"If it's really important they will come and get me." she replied with a confident grin.

"If you say so." replied Natsu with a little chuckle, ready to let that be the end of it.

"Who came?" she asked, mainly so she could start tailoring the perfect way to get back at them for almost ruining her plans.

"Are you sure you don't want to just go and see why they are here?" he asked with a smirk that he instantly lost by the intense glare he was now receiving from her.

"Fine Minerva, I will no longer ask if you want to see them. And the ones that decided to drop by are: Sting, Rogue, Yukino, Rufus and Orga, and it seems like things are getting pretty heated right now." he replied to only then start talking about some of his fond memories he had in their current area of the town.

"Are you really not going to elaborate on how exactly things are heating up?" asked Minerva with a slightly irritated expression on her face as she looked at him. Wondering if he was only doing this to annoy her or did he really think she would be fine with only hearing that little bit of information.

"I thought you wanted to continue the tour?" he asked with a little grin. He was a little surprised when Minerva's irritated look disappeared and was replaced with what he could only assume was her pleading look, something he is confident she never uses.

"Please can you just tell me Natsu?" she asked not knowing if he would listen to her, or continue to taunt her like she would have most likely done if the positions were switched.

"How could I possibly say no to a face like the one you have right now?" he asked with a large grin, glad to see Minerva once again smiling back at him like she had been for most of their time together.

"Well from what I can tell right now it seems like both of our guilds are in a very heated argument or something along those lines." he replied as he once again slipped his arm around her waist.

"And how in the world can you tell that, and don't tell me you can actually hear them from here?" she asked with shocked expression, because if that was indeed the case than the senses that a dragon slayer has are nothing to be trifled with.

"No I can't since there is a whole city in between us right now, but if it was just a forest than I could probably make out about sixty percent of what they are saying. Although that isn't how I know they are most likely arguing right now, I can tell that they are doing that because a few key members' magic are starting to flare up. So it is probably only a matter of time before an actual fight breaks out." explained Natsu with a smug grin now plastered across his face.

"Those senses of yours are quite impressive, I can't even detect any of them from this distance." she replied, noticing the slight blush Natsu got from her complement.

"Well if I'm correct, you along with the rest of the city will feel them in a few minutes." he stated with a little chuckle.

"Dada!" said Akari as she reached out for him with both hands, easily letting the other two know what she wanted.

Reluctantly Minerva handed the girl back, not only because it meant that she would no longer be holding the little girl but because it also meant that Natsu would no longer be able to have his arm around her. "There you go sweetie, back into the arms of your handsome daddy. And if that is going to be the case here, don't you think we should possibly leave Magnolia before it becomes a warzone. Since that is what you made it sound like it was going to become shortly." suggested Minerva with a little smirk.

"Are you trying to find out where we live?" he asked her while adjusting Akari into her favorite spot.

"Maybe, maybe not, but either way I'm sure you have a few places you want to show me that are probably best seen with just the three of us." she answered with her smirk turning a little more mischievous.

"If that is what you want than I'm more than happy to deliver, but for us to accomplish that we need to hide our scents from Sting and Rogue." he stated as they headed down a different street at a faster pace than before.

"Don't you mean all of the other dragon slayers?" she asked, finding it odd that he only mentioned the ones from her guild.

"Nope, because the other three wouldn't help anyone else find me unless it was something really important. As for Cobra I haven't detected him in the area so there is no need to be worried about him tracking us down." stated Natsu as he continued to lead their little group through the city.

"Darn right we wouldn't do something like that, especially since I can guarantee that those idiots are just over reacting about something small right now." said Laxus with a smug grin as they turned into the street he was waiting for them in.

"I was wondering when you were going to show yourself." stated Natsu as he continued past him like it was nothing. That alone would have surprised Minerva by itself, but hearing Laxus let out a little chuckle and start walking with them left her speechless.

"Come on Natsu, do I look like the man who would ruin someone else's date with a beautiful lady?" he asked while giving the two a sly grin that caused the Sabretooth mage to actually blush for a few reasons.

"You actually do if you ask me." said Natsu with a little smirk, the two would have most likely gotten into an argument if someone else didn't decided to intervene.

"Lala!" cheered Akari as she reached out for him, and once again Minerva got to witness something that the rest of the world would have called her crazy if she repeated it.

"So how's my favorite little girl doing, is her daddy making sure she's eating enough?" asked Laxus as he scooped her up from Natsu's arms and instantly started to play with her as she babbled back to his questions.

This little interaction actually caused Minerva to come to a complete stand still as her brain tried to comprehend what was going on. But before she could make sense of what was going on someone slipped their arm around her waist and got her to start walking again. Of course the only person she knew who would even attempt that with her was none other than the person who kept surprising her in more ways than one, Natsu Dragneel.

"What's going on Natsu?" she asked while staring at Laxus playing with Akari, who was currently letting out some gleeful giggles.

"Just Akari spending some time with her uncle since it's his week to keep an eye on us." he stated, only to receive a confused look from Minerva that made him realize she didn't know about any of this.

"Oh right you aren't aware that the guild thought it would be smart to have someone with me at all times of the day. Just in case some of my enemies get the idea to try something against me after finding out about Akari in that article." he continued as he once again took the lead of their little group.

"And what do you mean by his week?" she asked since what he just told her about someone coming after him right now was a real threat.

"Erza decided to get it where the people who can hold Akari by themselves spend a full week with us. And last week was Kagura's turn, which makes this week his." he explained only to come to a stop because of her.

"And why wasn't I a part of this list?" she asked with a glare that made the fire dragon slayer feel as if he might have just screwed up badly. Luckily for him Laxus decided to speak up before Natsu could put his foot in his mouth and make the situation worse than it already was.

"When Erza was making the schedule we didn't know you were part of the select group of people who can hold her by yourself. But now that we do we can add you into it if that's what you want, actually you can have this week if you want to since my team wanted to do an S-Class mission this week." stated Laxus with a serious facial expression as Akari played with a doll that she didn't have a few seconds ago.

"I would love to do both of those." replied Minerva with a bright smile as she then got their group to start walking again.

"And I'm really surprised to see you like this Laxus, wouldn't this ruin your reputation if it got out?" she asked with a mischievous smile.

"You're probably right since I can only assume that the same thing would happen to you as well. Isn't that right Minerva, because there are a few things in that article about Natsu which failed to mention about you being capable of being so girly like you were just moments ago." he replied without even looking at her since he was enjoying his time with Akari right now.

For what had to be at least the third time she was completely caught off guard today and was at a loss for words. "He's been in the same guild as Mira for a while so he knows how to handle someone trying to black mail him." explained Natsu with a slight glare directed at the lightning dragon slayer.

"And the jerk won't even give me the slightest hint of how to do it for myself." he continued with a little growl that caused the other two adults to start laughing at him for being upset about that.

"Well if you want Natsu I'm pretty sure I can get you on the right track." offered Minerva after she and Laxus stopped laughing at him. Although that didn't last thanks to Natsu over reacting to her offer and spinning her around while thanking her repeatedly.

"I think I'll be taking my leave then so you three can continue on with your little tour." said Laxus as he handed Akari back to Natsu. Who had a knowing look in his eyes as he looked at the older dragon slayer, which brought a smirk to his face since they both were fans of having a good fight.

"You're only doing this so you can join in once the fight breaks out." stated Natsu as Laxus just gave a little shrug as he started to head towards the guild.

"Laxus could you inform my guild that I'll be staying here for a week." said Minerva with a cheery smile spread across her face.

"I'd love to Minerva." he replied while looking back at them with a grin that made both of them a little worried.

"Please explain to them what's going on so it doesn't become worse than it already is." said Natsu knowing that it was pointless to ask since Laxus was like him. In the regards that they both pretty much did whatever they wanted to if it meant that they could have a good fight, which was a guarantee if he left out a few details.

"We'll see, but I wouldn't mind having a little fun with those two since I didn't get to at the last games." he replied before turning away and heading towards the guild with a huge grin on his face.

"He isn't going to make it worse is he?" she asked with a slight hint of concern in her voice. And she was not pleased by the look on Natsu's face as he watched his guild member head towards the guild.

"That is exactly what he's going to do, but that isn't our problem since we've got places to be before they try and find us after they've tired themselves out." replied Natsu with one of his usual grins as he went to the other side of her so he could slip his one free arm around her waist. A simple action that caused her to no longer be concerned about what was happening at Fairy Tail right now and was ready to spend more time with Natsu and his daughter.

"Then what are we waiting for." she declared as they started to move again.

 **Back at Fairy Tail:**

"Alright it seems that everyone has calmed down enough to realize that neither of them plans to leave their respective guilds for the other one." stated Makarov, which finally stopped a fight from breaking out between the two guilds. All because they believed that the other ones were trying to steal one of their members, which was ridiculous for numerous reasons.

"I honestly didn't think you'd be able to make them see reason for a second there Master." said Mira with her usual smile as she handed out a few drinks.

"Of course I could Mira, you don't become a Master without being able to make your members see reason." he replied with a grin.

"Hey, I take offense to that!" shouted Sting, but stopped after receiving a swift hit to his gut by their own resident celestial mage.

"I can't believe that we thought our Lady would actually leave us for him." stated Rufus with a small smile.

"No problems, we thought that Natsu might be leaving us to pursue a relationship with her." replied Cana with a little chuckle that soon pretty much everyone joined in on. That is until the door opened and in came Laxus with a huge smile spread across his face, which was the first sign for most of the members of Fairy Tail that something was off.

"Well isn't this a pleasant surprise." he stated as he looked at the group of Sabretooth mages.

"That it is Laxus, we happened to act a little hastily and rushed after Minerva thinking that she was leaving us." responded Yukino with a bright smile. Laxus was about to reply but someone just realized that he was most definitely supposed to be somewhere else right now, and since he was a dragon slayer he had no excuse for not being able to find him.

"LAXUS WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU DOING HERE, WHEN YOU SHOULD BE WITH NATSU AND AKARI!" shouted Erza as she glared at him as if he was her enemy. And given what she assumed he just did he might be in her eyes since today was the first day that the rest of the world found out about Akari.

"Easy now Erza, and before you go off on me for not watching them someone else volunteered to cover for me." he replied, opening his mouth to continue but another concerned individual decided to voice her concerns. "Laxus the whole point of you watching them right now is because you are one of the few people that can hold her without him being right next to her." voiced Mira as she glared at him along with Erza.

"Wow will you two let a man explain himself before you jump down his throat." he replied with a smirk as the two remained quiet along with the rest of the guild.

"Good, and I know that Mira, which is why I knew it was okay for her to take over for me since the little brat seems to like her a lot." he continued as most of the people gathered now had a confused expressions on their faces. Because the guild knew that Wendy was away on a job with Happy and Carla, while Cana was currently with them at the guild and Kagura had to return to her guild.

It didn't take long for a few Fairy Tail members to figure out exactly who he was talking about, while the Sabretooth mages on the other hand were completely lost about all of this and still had confused looks on their faces. One of the first to figure out exactly who he was talking about was Cana who now had an angry expression on her face.

"Don't tell me that you actually let her take over our job of watching those two?" asked Cana with a little bit of venom in her voice. Not because she didn't like Minerva or trust her with the job, but because she planned to use this whole watching over Natsu and Akari to give her and Kagura an advantage on the territory mage.

"That is exactly who I'm talking about Cana." he replied with his smile only getting bigger.

"Okay who in the world are you two talking about?" asked Sting as he noticed a few other females of Fairy Tail figure it out and have upset expressions just like Cana.

"We're talking about Minerva of course, oh and she wanted me to tell you guys that she would be staying her for a while so you might as well go home. She said something about not wanting any of you to disrupt her time with that flaming ball of energy and his kid." he said knowing full well how the Sabretooth Mages would react to that.

"Why Laxus, why did you have to come back here and tell them that? Couldn't you have gone and destroyed a town somewhere else, at least that would have been cheaper than what is about to happen." cried out Makarov as he could see everyone finally comprehending what his grandson had just said. Who by the way was now laughing his ass off at all of the shocked looks he was getting from most of them.

"WHAT?" shouted all of the Sabretooth Mages as they glared at him.

"You heard me." replied Laxus with a smirk as he waved over Mira, probably the only person other than Makarov who could see what the lightning mage was doing.

"Could you get me a beer Mira?" he asked while giving her a knowing look, which she responded with a wink and a nod.

"I knew they were just trying to distract us!" accused Orga as black lightning started to race around his body.

"I can't believe she actually likes Natsu." stated Sting with a defeated look.

"Come on Sting, that isn't the thing you should be focused on right now. We need to go and find our Lady and convince her to stay with us." said Rogue while he put a comforting hand on his partner's shoulder.

"But before we do that I think it would be a good idea to make sure that no one tries to interfere." declared Rufus as he glared at the rest of Fairy Tail.

"We aren't trying to steal her for the last time, but shouldn't we leave those two alone like we agreed upon just a few minutes ago." voiced Erza, who was now no longer concerned about those two as much as she was when she thought Laxus left them all alone.

"That's easy for you to say when you aren't possibly losing one of your strongest members." he said back to her.

"Settle down Rufus, we still don't know what is exactly going on right now. For all we know Minerva might just be taking a few days off and spending them with Natsu and Akari, who I would really like to meet." said Yukino, hoping to calm the situation down some.

"I don't know if I should mention this, but while I was still following Natsu he said something about needing a change of scenery. And Minerva started to tell him about how beautiful Tiger Lilly is all year round which seemed to interest him for some reason." stated Laxus with a smirk, while Makarov started to openly cry about the impending damages they would have to pay for.

"Are you saying that Natsu might be open to joining us?" asked Sting with a bright smile, as if he had just heard the best news in his entire life.

"There's no way he would even consider that." shouted out Cana as she glared at Laxus.

"Hey, I'm only just saying what I saw and heard from the two." replied the S-Class mage acting like he couldn't care less. But secretly he was extremely invested with how most of them would react to this news and he definitely wasn't disappointed.

And just like that all of Makarov's hard work came crumbling down as everyone was once again at each other's throats, which of course led to a brawl occurring. That Laxus was more than happy to join and specifically go after the two dragon slayers, who were both more than willing to face off against him. This lasted for a few minutes and easily destroyed almost everything in the guild hall and only stopped after Yukino made an astute observation.

"Wait a minute, does this mean the two are actually a couple?" she asked, only for a few women to shout no at her as the people surrounding said women decided to take a few steps back for their own safety.

"Okay, but what I gathered from what Laxus told us. It would seem that the two could both be convinced to join the other guild with a little persuasion." she stated as the meaning behind her words dawned on everyone there.

"Shit." mumbled half of them. Most of the fighting members then rushed for the nearest exit with the intent of finding the couple and getting them to side with them. "Get the hell out of my way!" shouted Orga as he blasted a few members out of his way, which unfortunately for Makarov caused the battle to pick up again. But rather than it being contained to the guild where the damage would be minimal, it was now spreading out throughout the city and only seemed to intensify.

"Why Natsu, how is it possible for you still cause me more problems than anyone else while you're not even here?" asked Makarov with a depressed look displayed on his face.

"It's just one of his better qualities." joked Laxus as he started to make his way towards the door.

"Master I don't think you can really blame this on Natsu." stated Mira as she then looked at the retreating figure of Laxus.

"Good point Mira, THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT LAXUS, SO GET BACK HERE AND ACCEPT YOUR PUNISHMENT!" hollered Makarov as he chased after his now chuckling grandson.

"Just another normal day at Fairy Tail." she said while looking at the now empty guild hall with a content smile. That only lasted until she realized how boring it would become if Natsu did in fact join Sabretooth, which was still a very unlikely possibility. But it was still enough of a chance for her to chase after everyone else with the same intention of finding the happy little group and making sure they sided with Fairy Tail.

Luckily for the group, Natsu was ready for this and planned on not ever being within one hundred yards of any of them. Something that really infuriated the dragon slayers of Sabretooth who couldn't figure out how he masked their scents, and they made a mental note to figure out how he did it afterwards. But they weren't the only ones upset about not being able to find them, since most of the Fairy Tail members believed they had the advantage of knowing his usual hangouts.

Although the people who were the most upset about the dragon slayer not being found were the poor citizens of Magnolia. Who had to run for the hills anytime a member of Sabretooth ran into a Fairy Tail member because it usually ended in a fight that destroyed all of the surrounding buildings.

 **End of Chapter**

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed. I will be accepting votes on the pairing for this story for the next two chapters because a devoted reader of mine pointed out that I've not distributed the time for each of the girls too fairly. So hopefully I'll be able to fix that with the next two chapters. And like I said before I won't be publishing the results since I don't want to possibly ruin the story for anyone, so you all still have until the next two chapters to let me know who you want to end up with Natsu. So if you do want to learn the results just pm me after I the next two chapters and I will fill you in even though I suggest you wait until I reveal it in the story. So a little heads up on what my plans are for this story, which will consist of a few more chapters where Akari is still a little toddler. After that I'll probably have a few chapters devoted to possibly forming the bonds between the chosen woman and the two of them. Then I plan to jump to noteworthy moments in Akari's life that I think would be interesting to write or read about in your case.** **That's it I guess so as always feel free to leave me a review or pm and I'll try and get back to you as soon as possible.**

 **Oh and if you would like me to update faster or possibly start a new story I have information about that on my profile page so head on over there and take a look.**

 **Until the next Chapter**

 **Digem Out!**


	13. Akari this is your Granpa

**Two Months Later:**

The day that Akari Dragneel was announced to the rest of the world was a day that no one in Magnolia was ever going to forget for at least a few years considering how much damaged was caused throughout the town. But the most shocking part about all of this was that Natsu didn't cause any of it directly like most would think, actually he and his daughter weren't seen at all throughout the whole ordeal. Something that Makarov was thankful for since he knew that if the fire dragon slayer did take part it would have been at least ten times as bad considering that he hadn't been able to let loose for a while now.

And to the displeasure of those trying to find the small group of three, none of them showed up until the next day at the guildhall. Where they were instantly asked all sorts of questions and also offered all sorts of things to try and get one of them to stay or join the other guild. Surprisingly this went on for more than an hour, at which point Natsu had enough and made it extremely clear that he and Minerva were only friends at the moment and neither of them would be leaving their respective guilds any time soon. After that was established things started to go back to normal as they ever were when talking about Fairy Tail, with the small difference of Natsu no longer being the cause for most guild brawls. Another change was one of the people able to hold Akari being with the two of them every hour of the day just like the month before Minerva was added to that select group. And it just so happened to be Cana's turn this week.

"Dada up!" cheered Akari as she grabbed onto his cheek, attempting to wake him up as best as she could. Which she could have done just by calling out to him thanks to his enhanced hearing, but she enjoyed the funny faces he made when she played with his face.

"Good morning, my Little Dragoness, did you have just as good of sleep as I did?" he asked with little grin as he tried to get up but failed thanks to the unexpected weight on the other side of his chest that wasn't occupied with his daughter. Looking down to see what was responsible for this additional weight he was met with a mop of brunette hair, instantly causing him to remember what transpired last night.

 **Last Night:**

Natsu was sitting on his bed smiling down at Akari who had finally just went to sleep after listening to four different stories from him when a faint knocking noise came from his door. Luckily for him, Akari seemed to be a heavy sleeper in regards to him actually being able to have normal volume conversations with any visitors that they might have.

"Come in, Cana." he replied, as said woman slowly opened the door and peeked her head in.

"I'm not bothering you two am I?" she asked still with only her head sticking through the doorway.

"Of course not, Cana, she only just went to sleep a few moments ago." he answered while giving her his usual grin that let her know he meant what he just said and she could come all the way in. And when she did it let him take in her current attire, which actually covered more skin than what her daily outfit did. She currently had on one of his t-shirts that she was confident she had never seen him wear to the guild or anywhere else for that matter. Other than the shirt the only other article of clothing she had on was a pair of pink panties that Natsu only noticed when she closed the door quietly as she could to not wake up Akari.

"Good, because I couldn't get to sleep and after lying in bed for a while I decided to see if either of you were having the same problem." she stated while going over to one of the open walls to lean up against it since there wasn't really anywhere else for her to sit except for on the bed with him. And the last thing she wanted to do at the moment was come on to him too strongly, something that she honestly probably couldn't even do considering how dense he is when it comes to things like that.

"Ever since I got Akari that really hasn't been a problem for me." he stated with a little chuckle.

"Natsu, I don't think that has ever actually been a problem for you, especially when you consider all those times that you somehow fell asleep in the middle of the guild." she replied with a smirk coming across her lips.

"What can I say, listening to everyone at the guild puts me at ease." he said while giving her another grin.

"Most people would say the guild is way too loud for a normal person to get any sleep there, but then again you've never been normal or even tried to be have you?" she asked while watching him smile down at his new purpose in life, that she couldn't imagine him without anymore. Since to her at least it seemed like he was always meant to be a father after witnessing how he was with Akari.

"Why try and be something you aren't and if you want you can sit on the bed with me since standing over there doesn't look very comfy to me." he offered while moving over to the side so that he was no longer in the middle of the bed.

"Are you sure?" she asked hesitantly, which was something she usually wasn't no matter what situation she was in.

"I wouldn't have offered it if I wasn't." he replied, wondering why the three women that watched over him and Akari seemed to keep asking him that while they were with him. So with a slight blush, which Natsu didn't notice thanks to him being lost in his own thoughts, Cana climbed into bed with him and got into a sitting position next to him as the two sat there together in silence for a few minutes.

"Natsu, can I ask you something?" asked Cana as she rested her head against his shoulder.

"Shoot." he replied while glancing over at her questioningly since he really didn't expect her of all people to start leaning against him for some reason.

"Does us always being with you two get on your nerves at all?" she asked while twisting her head slightly to look up at him, slightly caught off guard by the thoughtful expression he currently had on his face.

"I'd be lying if I didn't say that it would be nice to have some more time with just the two of us, like we were having just a little while ago." he answered, causing her to have a frown start forming as she was about to get up and leave. "But there will be plenty of time for that once we're confident that no one is targeting her because of me. And it's honestly nice to know that you all care about the two of us so much to actually waste a whole week just looking out for us." he finished with a warm smile as they locked eyes.

"It's honestly the least we could do." she stated with a little laugh while breaking eye contact with him and looking away.

"If you say so, but I really appreciate what you're all doing for us while I'm still trying to figure this all out." he said while turning his gaze once again back to his sleeping daughter.

"What more do you have to figure out, Natsu? Because from what I can tell you've got this whole father thing down pretty good." she asked with a little grin coming across her face.

"Everything, right now all I'm doing is whatever feels natural to me. But I know that won't cut it later on which has got me really concerned." he answered in an unsure tone that was rarely heard from the usually brash fire mage.

"And that's all you will ever need to do." she stated while looking back up at him, and could tell that he wasn't too sure about how true that was. "Natsu, your fifty percent focus is what most people's hundred percent is. Also anyone who's seen the way you are with Akari can instantly tell that you would literally do anything to protect her and make sure she's happy." she continued in a sincere voice.

"Thanks, Cana, but what if something happens that forces me to leave her like what happened with me and Igneel?" he asked while looking down at Akari sleeping peacefully in his arms with a sad smile.

"You wouldn't let that happen." she answered without a doubt in her mind that he would.

"But that's the thing, Cana, we both know that unfortunately we can't know something like that for certain." he said while looking over at her with a stern look, one that told the card mage that no matter what she might say to him he knew that some things are out of his control.

"Yes we do, but all that really means is you'll do everything in your power to not let any of that happen. Not only that, but the rest of Fairy Tail and I will also do anything we can to prevent something like that happening. You're not alone anymore, Natsu, and just like every time you've been there for everyone else, we'll now be there for you." she replied while no longer leaning on his shoulder so that they were eye to eye with each other. She continued to gaze into his onyx eyes as he looked back into her purple ones, which was something that she had in common with Akari. The two of them stayed this way for a few more minutes in silence, until a slight grin formed on Natsu's lips as he went back to looking at his sleeping daughter.

"Thanks, and I think you no longer being drunk all of the time has made you into a wise woman for someone so young." he finally replied with a little chuckle as she gave him a playful hit. Before she then went back to her previous position of using him as her extremely warm and comfy pillow.

"That has nothing to do with it, the only difference now is that I'm no longer slurring my words anymore." she stated as a grin of her own started to form, glad that he seemed to no longer be thinking about all of the what ifs.

"Whatever you say, Cana." he said while wondering how he got so lucky to have such good friends as her and everyone else in the guild. "So do you have any idea when Gildarts might be stopping by?" he asked, wondering if their guild's ace even knew about Akari yet. Something that he thought should be impossible since after his interview and little photoshoot with her, pictures of the two of them have been in all of the other magazines thereafter. But considering how absent minded and oblivious the crash mage can be, he might very well still not know about her until he finally sees her face to face.

"He sent a letter saying that he was going to be back at the beginning of the week." she replied in a slightly sad tone. "But considering that was three days ago, who knows when he'll finally come waltzing back in and start smothering me like a little girl." she finished no longer sounding sad and actually had a slight smile forming at the edges of her lips.

"You know you love it when he's like that with you." chuckled out Natsu knowing that this was probably the only thing that could cause her to become slightly flustered.

"I do not." she denied while not letting him see her face, which she was confident had a slight blush on it at the moment.

"Sure you don't." he drawled out with a little smirk now on his mug. "I mean if I didn't like someone doing that to me I would also go and spend some alone time with just the two of us for the rest of the day." he stated as she pinched him hard enough to get a little hiss out of him.

"Were you following us?" she asked while giving him a heated glare and another pinch.

"Of course not, Gildarts just can't shut up about you now that he knows you are his daughter." he answered with a warm smile, glad to see how happy the brunette was to hear that from him. Something that even she couldn't hide due to the huge smile she now had spread across her face.

"He does not." she replied while going back to using him as her pillow.

"Oh yes he does Cana, instead of us talking about his most recent jobs like we usually do. He had me tell him everything that I could about what happened with you while he was gone." he stated still smiling, remembering how he wished at that time he had someone that interested in him and his wellbeing. He knew that everyone cared for him at the guild, but he also knew that none of it compares to that of a real father looking out for their child. Something that Igneel did for him and now he is currently doing for Akari.

"And what exactly did you tell him?" asked Cana as she looked up at him questioningly.

"I told him about some of the jobs that you completed and other things like that." he replied nervously, slightly feeling as if he was walking into a trap.

"What other things, Natsu?" she asked in a tone that made him start thinking that she was upset with him.

"I don't know, I've told him about a few things you like besides booze." he answered while rubbing the back of his head. "Also about how even I can see you're happier when he's actually at the guild, despite you constantly rejecting his overly affectionate hugs and his coddling of you. How you are always looking out for everyone else in the guild and willing to help them no matter what they might have gotten themselves into." he said with a fond smile as he looked over at her, only to be surprised when he was met with a warm smile from her.

"I didn't know you noticed all of that." she replied, wondering what else the supposedly clueless dragon slayer knew about her.

"Of course I did, you're part of my family and how am I supposed to make sure you're happy if I don't know anything about you?" he asked back as if that should have been obvious for her to realize. This made Cana let out a little giggle at his reasoning since it was so him to be so concerned about everyone else's happiness.

"So you're saying you know stuff like that about everyone else in the guild?" she asked with a sly grin.

"Yep." he answered proudly.

"We'll see about that, but let's first see how much you actually know about me." she said while shifting slightly into a comfier position against him. "What are some of these things that I like besides booze that aren't common knowledge to the rest of the guild?" she asked while gazing up at the ceiling of his room.

"Well that's pretty much all of them since you're someone that likes to keep most things to themselves if you can." he stated with a slight frown, upset that she suffered for so many years thinking she needed to prove herself to Gildarts before she told him who she was. Something that he should have noticed thanks to his nose, but no he was always more concerned about trying to beat the mage whenever he stopped by the guild. "Your favorite flower is the purple tiger lily and you enjoy watching the sunset whenever you can sneak out of the guild unnoticed." he said with a small smile now coming over his face.

"Apparently someone did notice me slipping out every once and a while when I thought no one was looking." she commented with a slight smirk.

"Just like your drinking didn't affect your wisdom, neither did any of the fights that I would get into stop me from noticing when someone would leave." he replied.

"Those dragon sense of yours are really impressive, so what else do you know about me?" she asked, knowing that he wouldn't think twice about telling her how much he actually knew about her. Not realizing that this was a way for her to figure out how he might feel about her.

"That you're like most girls and still enjoy dresses, even though you don't wear them for some reason. Which I really don't understand since you used to wear them when we were younger." he answered with a slightly confused look.

"That's because I feel awkward in them now after not wearing them for so long. Also they are way more confining than what I currently wear, which keeps me cool at the same time." she replied with a slight blush forming.

"Anything is more confining than what you usually wear, even what you have on right now is." he stated incredulously while nodding down at the shirt she was currently wearing. "And I thought you looked really good in that orange sundress you tried on while we were in Crocus, which I'm told shouldn't cause you to overheat." he finished while looking down at Akari with a smile, glad that she seemed to always be able to sleep at night now while still being held in his arms.

"First off you're wrong about this being more constricting than my usual getup." she stated with a slight smirk.

"How?" he asked back with an eyebrow raised.

"I don't have my bikini top or pants like I usually do." she answered with sly grin. "And the only thing else that I have on other than my panties is this shirt of yours." she continued while giving a slight glance up at the shocked dragon slayer that let out a little cough as he didn't know how to respond to that. "As for the whole heat thing, I don't really know if you can say much about that considering you're practically a walking furnace at all times of the year. Not changing your outfit even during the hottest or coldest days of year as well." she finished with a little giggle since she was glad to see that she could still get him slightly flustered. Something she was actually concerned about after him not even reacting to the sight of her in nothing but her lingerie the few times she walked around in nothing but that in the mornings at his place.

"I guess you've got a point there." he mumbled out nervously, wondering why in the world she felt the need to tell him that she wasn't wearing a bra or bikini top like she usually did while with him.

"And if you really did think I looked good in that dress, maybe I'll wear it tomorrow." she said in almost a purr that once again threw Natsu off guard. Causing him to stutter a little bit and trip over his own tongue as she continued to enjoy herself at his expense.

"Like I'd care?" he mumbled out with a slightly upset look on his face after listening to her giggle at him for a while.

"So you're saying that you didn't like how I looked in it?" she asked while looking up at him with a sad look that instantly made him feel like a complete jerk.

"Not at all, I'd actually love it if you wore that dress tomorrow." he quickly replied, hoping that she wouldn't start crying like he was afraid she would after thinking that he didn't like her in that dress. So when she started to openly laugh he was slightly confused, but also relieved that she wasn't sad like he initially thought she might be.

"Man. Natsu, that was too easy, just like Minerva said it would be. You really need to learn when a woman is just messing with you like that." she stated in between giggles as she tried to calm down. Not even noticing the slight glare she was receiving from said dragon slayer that she was giggling at.

"She was supposed to help me with things like this, not tell you to start messing with me like she does." he mumbled while adjusting Akari into a different position.

"Don't worry, Natsu, you don't need to change this part of yourself. And I don't know if you even can since you honestly care too much to not react like that when you see someone possibly hurting." she said now no longer giggling at him. "But let's go back to seeing how much you know about other members of the guild, and just so you know we'll be coming back to me unless that is all you know about me?" she asked with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

"I know a few more things." he replied with a confident grin spread across his lips.

"Good, but right now I want to know what you know about Mira that I might not." she said and that is exactly what the two of them did for the rest of the night, until they both finally drifted off into sleep after talking about most of the members in the guild for a little bit.

 **Present:**

At least that is what Natsu remembered about what occurred last night, which didn't really explain Cana's current state of attire. Or it might be better to say lack of attire since she was now currently only in her panties and snuggled up against him with her arms wrapped around him. Somehow she lost his shirt that she was wearing during the night and then deciding that he was going to be her teddy bear for the rest of the night as well. Depending on who you asked, he was currently lucky that he couldn't see anything thanks to her clinging to him with a content smile spread across her face.

Seeing her smile like that caused Natsu to stop in his poor efforts to get up and start his day. So instead he let out a sigh and got ready to stay there until either Cana woke up or Akari needed something that he couldn't do for her in his current position. Without even thinking he used his one free hand and combed the brunette's hair out of her face so he could have a better view of her in such a peaceful stated. And it would seem that this action from him caused the only other person in the room to finally notice the woman snuggled up against him.

"Mama up!" cheered Akari as her left hand came down onto Cana's cheek with all her might, which wasn't very much given that she was still a toddler. But it was enough force to cause the sleeping woman to let out a little moan and shift her position, letting Natsu get a glimpse of what was usually held behind her bikini.

"Just a few more minutes, Natsu." mumbled out Cana, causing said dragon slayer to start blushing at the fact that he was apparently in her dream and more than likely it was because of what he just saw.

"Up Mama!" said Akari with a slightly upset look on her face as she went to grab her face this time, something that worked on her father a few moments ago. But right before her little hand could grab on, it came to a stop thanks to the only other person awake in the house.

"Akari, let her sleep a little longer." he said while not smiling at her like he usually does. He learned a while ago that his daughter could pick up on this and would usually stop whatever she was doing before, which came in handy at the moment since he didn't know how to handle the situation that he was in.

"Mama?" she asked him back while pointing at the sleeping form of Cana still holding onto him firmly.

"Yep, let Cana have her beauty sleep a little longer." he replied with a grin, still finding it extremely odd that she would continue to call the three of them Mama. But he was told by all three of them and even the rest of the guild that he really didn't need to worry about that, or the fact that she would barely crawl around. Mainly because she was usually clinging onto him or one of the other few people that could hold her by themselves, but even during the few times that she wasn't being held she would usually just sit there looking around.

Hearing this from him she looked back up at him with a smile before starting to look around for something that she apparently couldn't find. "Hap." she said after not being able to find what she was looking for and turning back to look at him almost on the verge of crying.

With a little chuckle Natsu reached over and grabbed the plushy of his partner and gave it to her as she let out a squeal of joy while hugging the blue doll against herself with her one free arm. This caused him to chuckle at how attached she became to that doll after their little vacation in Crocus, which seemed to be the start of her having favorite toys. All of which happened to be presents from the people that she interacted the most with, most of them being the people still looking over the two of them.

"I don't know why you like that doll so much when you can have the real thing anytime you want." he said with a little smirk sent his daughter's way.

"No she can't!" declared Happy now glaring at his partner with his head just barely sticking out of the crib in the corner of the room. This actually caught Natsu by surprise and caused him to jump a little, which caused Cana to let out another moan and tighten her grip on him.

"When did you get in here?" hissed Natsu as he glared back at his partner, knowing that this whole situation just got way more complicated for him now that the Exceed was involved in it.

"We were here before the rest of you were." came the reply of Carla as her head also popped up from the crib. This would have been something shocking a few months ago, but now she pretty much was as much of a resident in their house as any of them. Possibly even more so since she made sure that it was neat and tidy, claiming that it was all because of her concern for Akari. But he knew that was just one of her many excuses to explain why she was now usually with Happy most of the time.

"You're kidding, please tell me that the two of you are kidding." he said, already knowing that they weren't going to give him the answer he was hoping for.

"Nope, and you two really liked talking late into the night." replied Happy with a smug grin as he flew over to them and landed on Natsu's right shoulder and waved down at the smiling Akari.

"Do you really think it's appropriate for Akari to see her like this?" asked Carla as she flew over and landed at the foot of the bed and gestured to Cana.

"Why wouldn't it be?" he asked back with a slightly confused look.

"I don't know, maybe because she's practically naked!" she shouted back at him, causing Cana to mumble something again as her grip on Natsu somehow got even tighter. And whatever she said caused Natsu to have a slight blush spring up on his face as the white Exceed let out a scoff of disapproval.

"She somehow lost her shirt last night." he stuttered back while starting to look around for said article of clothing.

"And that's supposed to make this better?" she asked while glaring at him disapprovingly.

"Yes, now would the two of you help me find it so she can put it back on as soon as she wakes up." he replied while still looking around for it.

"Are you sure you didn't help her out of it Natsu?" asked Happy while snickering with his paws covering his mouth.

"I'm positive Happy, and why in the world would I want her like this anyways?" he asked, giving up on the shirt being within his reach or line of sight for that matter.

"Because you two like each other." snickered the blue exceed as he took to the air just outside of the dragon slayer's reach.

"You say that about me and all of the girls that Akari calls mama." stated Natsu as he glared up at the snickering Exceed.

"That's because you like all of them right now." he replied in a slightly serious tone. "Maybe you're trying to start that one thing Gildarts and Gramps told you about, what did they call it again?" continued the Exceed with a thoughtful expression as he scratched his chin while still floating in the air.

"I honestly don't have a clue what you're talking about, buddy." said Natsu while looking down and wondering how Cana was still able to sleep with all of this talking going on around her.

"Yes you do, Natsu, it's where a guy has multiple women that he's in love with." sang out the Exceed in an excited tone as he traced the shape of a heart in the air.

"Still don't know what you're talking about." replied Natsu with a confused expression.

"Happy is talking about a harem, and thank goodness Akari doesn't call Wendy mama. Otherwise you and I would have to have a few words about all of this." said Carla as she made a broad gesture to his whole room.

"Oh, so that is what you were trying to get at." he said while shaking his head at his partner, who had the innate ability to make situations worse by saying such things out loud without even thinking about the consequences. "But what does any of that have to do with Akari calling Wendy mama like she does with Cana and the other two?" he asked while looking at the white Exceed at the foot of his bed.

"You are really dense sometimes aren't you? What I meant by that is a few of the other guild members are whispering about you possibly having a little harem with the women that Akari here calls mama." she explained while shaking her head at how clueless he can be with things like this.

"Mama!" cheered Akari as she tossed her Happy plushy at Cana.

"Shh, Akari, let Mommy sleep a little longer." replied Cana without even opening her eyes and somehow gently placing her hand that wasn't behind Natsu onto Akari's tummy. This caused Natsu and the two Exceeds to remain completely quiet and not move a muscle, all of them waiting to see if she was now awake. And after two minutes of silence they concluded that she was still somewhat asleep.

"And from what I've just seen and heard this morning I'm starting to think that they might be right about that." she finished while glaring daggers at the pink haired man holding a baby girl with an almost completely naked woman clinging to him.

"That's not what I'm trying to do here." he stated while glaring back at her.

"Then what are you doing?" she asked him back while not letting up on her glare.

"Nothing, they're just looking after me and Akari in case someone comes after us." he replied, thinking that would be a good enough of an answer for the white Exceed.

"If that's the case then you really need to open your eyes and see what everyone else already does." she said before turning away from him and exiting the room in a huff.

"What does she mean by that?" he asked while looking over at Happy who was currently shaking his head back and forth.

"I'm really glad that I didn't get my brains from you Natsu." stated the blue Exceed as he continued to shake his head in disbelief.

"Hey!" shouted Natsu as he tried to catch him with his free arm, but had to stop because of the displeased moan that came from the brunette and the giddy giggle that came from his daughter.

"Let's just say that what she was getting at was something you thought about before you got Akari." replied Happy with a sly grin before he flew after Carla shouting something about how he wanted his morning fish.

"Seriously, Akari, please always just tell me what you mean when you're older." he said while looking down at her.

"Baba." stated Akari while looking up at him as her tummy let out a little rumble.

"That's daddy's little dragon, straight to the point just the way I like it." he chuckled as he once again tried to get back up, completely forgetting about the other person sleeping on the bed with him.

"Natsu, please stop moving." mumbled Cana, this time sounding like she might be finally waking up.

"I would love to, Cana, but Akari is hungry and I need to go and prepare her morning bottles for her." he replied, knowing that upon hearing this she would definitely let go of him so he could attend to his daughter. But it would seem that Happy had other plans as he called out to them from the kitchen right after he stopped talking.

"Don't worry, Natsu, Carla and I will prepare Akari's breakfast for you." shouted the Exceed, and at the end Natsu could have sworn that he heard snickering as well.

"See, nothing to worry about." she said while once again giving the dragon slayer a good show as she adjusted herself into a comfier position.

"Fine, but would you mind putting your shirt back on?" he asked while looking away with a slight blush coming over him.

"It's still on." she replied while finally taking notice of how comfy and warm she was at the moment.

"No it isn't, Cana, and I think I would know." he said while giving her figure a quick glance, and since he was still a man he couldn't help but admire how perfect it was in his eyes.

"Natsu, there is no way that I…" she started until her sleepy mind finally cleared enough for her to figure out that she was in fact shirtless. Not only that, but that she was currently embracing Natsu as if they were lovers. Something that she would have assumed was the case if a certain little girl wasn't still in his arms giggling at the faces he was currently making for her.

"See, so would you mind telling me how in the world you lost your shirt last night?" he asked while looking at her out of his peripherals, taking note of the slight blush she had while most likely trying to figure out how to cover herself up without letting him see any more of her.

"I think I should be the one asking you that." she replied while snapping her head towards him with a slight glare on her face.

"How so?" he asked with a confused expression as he cocked his head to the right.

"Because most guys would almost do anything to get a woman into my current state." she stated with a stern look, which then turned a little mischievous as she watched a blush come over the dragon slayer's face before he turned away from her.

"Well I'm not like most guys." he replied in a slightly higher tone than his usual voice.

"Oh is that what you actually think, Natsu?" she asked with a sly grin coming over her face. "Because if I didn't know any better I would've guessed that you might have been checking me out while I was still asleep." she continued in a sultry tone as Natsu didn't respond back to her for a few moments.

"So you did, that's quite naughty of you, Natsu, taking advantage of a woman like that." she accused in a joking tone that might have been missed by the man she was having fun with.

"You were the one that was sleeping with me while not wearing a shirt for crying out loud, and I would never do something like that to any woman." he snapped back at her in a defensive tone as he finally looked over at her again. Once again being slightly confused when he was met with a smile from the brunette that was still embracing him, because she didn't really know what else to do since they were on top of the covers and she wasn't confident enough at the moment to let him see it all.

"Just kidding, I know you aren't the type of person to do something like that, Natsu. But I am a little surprised to find out that you were in fact checking me out while I was sleeping." she said while also taking a little pleasure in knowing that he did. "So what are we going to do now, because laying here like this doesn't sound too bad to me." she asked while looking up at him again with a sultry grin this time.

"I guess we can since Happy and Carla are getting to work on Akari's breakfast." he responded with a nervous chuckle.

"Baba!" cheered Akari as she once again tossed the current toy she was holding away from her.

"She is definitely your girl in everything but blood, which I'm now starting to actually wonder about." said Cana with a little giggle as she rested her head against his chest like she was while she was asleep.

"I wouldn't have been able to keep something like that from the guild." he stated while grabbing a different toy and giving it to the little pink haired girl clutching him with one of her hands.

"I know, but you do have to admit she is surprisingly similar to you in a lot of ways." she replied with a content smile coming over her face, wishing that they could stay like this for the rest of the day since it just felt right to her. And that wasn't even including the calming and protective aura the dragon slayer seemed to have oozing out of him at the moment.

"That she does." he said while smiling fondly down at the little girl that was currently grabbing his face with a big smile spread across her face. "So about you putting at least a shirt or something else back on?" he asked once again having a slight blush come over his face as he thought about their current state.

"Look at you, blushing up a storm just because you have a gorgeous woman like me almost completely naked in your bed." she replied in a teasing tone as she slid up his side a little more so that their faces were now closer to each other. "It makes me wonder how you would react if happened to lose my panties as well." she purred out in a sultry tone as Natsu's face became the same color as his hair and started to stutter nonsense back to her. Of course this caused the brunette responsible for his current stated to be reduced to a laughing mess that was laughing so hard that she forgot her current state.

But that didn't last long for her since in between a fit of her giggles she noticed Natsu's wide eyes as he looked at her next to him. So she looked down at what he was currently staring at and let out a squeal of embarrassment before pouncing back onto him to cover herself back up. And just like that she was now also blushing up a storm just like the man she was currently sharing the bed with. Who she was slightly surprised hadn't said a thing for a few minutes as she clung to him to cover her assets that no other man has even had the pleasure to gaze upon.

"I guess I kind of had that coming didn't I?" she asked, hoping to break the awkward silence that was now over the two of them.

"I wouldn't say that, so how about we finally get you a shirt." Natsu replied nervously, which caught the brunette slightly off guard since she honestly thought he would have been the only person dense enough to possibly not realize how awkward this situation was.

"I would if I knew where the damn thing was." she replied while starting to look around for it.

"I couldn't find it either when I looked for it earlier." he stated still acting strange in Cana's opinion.

"Well that's kind of odd." she pointed out with a confused expression since Natsu's room was surprisingly neat and it didn't really have much in it for shirt to get lost in.

"You're telling me, we still don't even know how you lost it." he said while not being able to look at her, letting the card mage know that something was bothering him.

"What's wrong, Natsu? Don't tell me that seeing my boobs are making you that uncomfortable." asked Cana with a smirk, knowing that the fire dragon slayer had seen Lucy's quite a few times already. So much so that he seemed to not even register it anymore when the blonde would eventually loss her top on a job.

"It's not that, it's just…" he said to only trail off at the end.

"It's just what, Natsu?" she asked, now growing slightly more concerned about what was going on with him.

"I can feel them." he mumbled back just loud enough for her to barely hear him. But once she did she couldn't stop herself from once again breaking into a fit of laughter and not caring this time if he got to see her glorious twins since he already has a few times. Of course this slightly upset him, but considering the sight he was getting to see he didn't say anything and just waited until she stopped laughing. He was hoping that once she did, she would get up and go put on some cloths so he could hopefully finish the rest of the day like he and Akari normally would.

But it would seem that the brunette had other plans, because as soon as she stopped giggling and laughing at him she went back to pressing up against him and holding on so he couldn't get away from her. Causing him to wonder why the hell he didn't get up and leave while he had the chance, but he then realized that he was way too busy watching her for him to make a getaway like he was now wishing he had. Although he did have to admit that some part of him didn't mind what was currently happening and were it looked like it might lead.

"So you're saying that the big bad Salamander is getting nervous from this much skin on skin with a female?" she asked him while moving ever so slightly, just enough for him to not be able to ignore the two peaks rubbing up against him. Or her hand that was currently tracing his abs that weren't covered up by the rest of her body, using just her finger tips and taking her time with it.

"N-no that i-isn't w-what I'm s-saying." he stuttered out, causing her to start giggling at him as a mischievous grin spread across her face. But before Cana could start acting on whatever she had planned for Natsu, the other occupant of the room decided to make herself know once again.

"Mama, baba!" stated Akari while looking at Cana with an extremely cute but somehow also stern expression. But then again most of the little girl's expressions were cute no matter what she might be actually trying to convey to all of them. And this time was the same, but it did stop the brunette from doing whatever she had planned for the pink haired dragon slayer she was currently all over.

"Okay, Akari, just give me a second." she replied while smiling at her, but was stunned when the little girl didn't smile back to her like she usually did. And she continued to look at her with that adorable yet still stern glare of hers.

"No need to, and why aren't you wearing a shirt yet?" asked Carla as she flew back into the room carrying a little basket that had four bottles of milk in them. That she handed over to Natsu before turning on the card mage with an upset look now clearly on her face.

"Because we can't find my shirt." she mumbled back nervously, wondering why she felt as if the Exceed was treating her like a mother would with their little child.

"You're saying that Happy didn't bring it in here for you?" asked Carla as she looked around for the blue Exceed.

"Happy hasn't come back in here after saying that you two would get Akari's breakfast going for her." answered Natsu already feeding his daughter one of the bottles.

"Then where in the world did he run off to with your clothes?" asked the white Exceed with a thoughtful expression, until it quickly turned to one of anger as she started to mumble to herself.

"What's wrong Carla?" asked Cana, since the little Exceed was never one to all of a sudden get angry like that.

"That idiot is trying to start trouble again." she mumbled back while shaking her head.

"How exactly is he going to do that with my clothes?" asked Cana, only for her mouth to drop open as she realized how easy it would be for the fly fur ball to get the rest of the guild in a tizzy over this. Especially after most likely seeing them in the state that they were in when he woke up.

"Come on you two, after the last few months everyone at the guild knows what he's up to and barely even listens to him anymore if it's about me and one of the girls that looks after us." he stated with a confident smirk sent their way before going back to feeding Akari. Which was harder than normal and slightly awkward for him since a certain brunette was still taking up half of his chest and not moving any time soon from what he could tell.

"You're right." replied Cana, while thinking that what he just said wasn't true for her and a few other girls that were always interested with what he and Akari might be up to while they weren't with him.

"I hope you're right because I unfortunately have a bad feeling about this." stated Carla as she looked at him feeding his daughter with a bright smile. Still slightly amazed at how good he actually was with the little girl, especially when it seemed like he was completely clueless about three specific women taking an interest in him after he showed everyone he was more than the idiot that most of them thought he was.

"If I'm not Master will prevent it from getting out of hand." he said, clearly not concerned about what could possibly happen because of his partner trying to stir things up again.

"Just like he did when the guild thought you and Minerva were in a relationship and possibly leaving Fairy Tail?" asked Cana with a smug grin sent his way.

"That only happened because of that darn article of Jason's." he replied with a slight sneer, not because he didn't like the article but because it really did make it sound like he was going to start dating one of the three women sometime soon. When that was the furthest thing on his mind since he was really concerned about Akari not doing what he read most babies her age would start doing at her approximate age, since he actually didn't know how old she was.

"Yeah but this time he's got something that might even be worse, my clothes." she said still grinning up at him.

"Good point, but you don't seem too concerned about any of this anymore." he responded while looking at her questioningly.

"I think it might be fun to be on this side of things for a change, and you're going to be the one that has to deal with most of them." she replied with a little chuckle as a flash of fear crossed over his face for just a second.

"That is only if any of them are dumb enough to believe Happy and whatever he's saying." he stated confidently, which he lost as soon as he noticed Carla have a slightly scared look on her face. That usually came whenever she got a glimpse of the future, but before he could ask her what she saw the side wall of his room blasted open. Sending small cubes flying everywhere that also rained down on him as he instinctively protected the two girls that were currently in his bed. While Carla on the other hand happened to move to the only place that wasn't showered with cubes that used to be his bedroom wall.

"I'll kill you!" shouted the figure now standing in the new hole made in Natsu's room. It didn't even take a second for both Fairy Tail mages to be up and in their respective fighting stances, both not caring for a second about their current attire and completely focused on whoever was attacking them. Natsu in one swift motion passed the stunned Akari off to Cana and was now standing protectively in front of them as his magic sky rocketed as his orange flames started to spiral around him.

"Get out of here and head to the guild while you still can, Cana." he growled out, only for him to finally take a sniff of the air and realize that the scent and even the magic were extremely familiar to him.

"I'll kill you Natsu for touching my precious little daughter like that!" bellowed Gildarts as he stepped through the hole, confirming for Natsu who he thought it was and letting his own daughter realize it was just him.

"Oh it's just you, Gildarts." replied Natsu with a little chuckle as he deactivated his magic. Only for him to then be sent crashing through the rest of his house and into the forest surrounding it, leaving the two shocked girls and one Exceed that already saw all of this in her premonition. And it looked like Gildarts was about to chase after the fire dragon slayer he just sent flying way, but instead he came to a stop when he picked up the sounds of Akari whimpering as she clutched onto Cana for dear life.

And if the Ace of Fairy Tail was confused before he was now on a whole new level, because right now he was looking at his daughter in just her panties holding onto a crying baby that had Natsu's hair. But before he could even ask a question to try and figure out what was going on Cana delivered a swift kick to the man's family jewels. This action of hers resulted with him falling to the floor in pain clutching them as she continued to kick him over and over again.

"What in the hell were you thinking?" she shouted at him while holding Akari protectively and still continuing to kick her father. "The first thing you do once you return is attack Natsu out of the blue, not even thinking how much that might scare Akari!" she said while giving him one last hard kick to his ribs. After which she went back to trying to console the little girl crying in her arms as she took a seat back on the bed, occasionally giving her father a deadly glare that he knew meant more pain for him later once she was free to deliver it to him.

"Okay, I'm a little confused here." stated Gildarts as he looked to Carla for answers. Not just because Cana was busy calming down Akari at the moment but because of her lack of clothing that she didn't seem too concerned about fixing while she was holding a crying girl in her arms.

"That was pretty obvious." remarked Carla as she shook her head at the Ace of Fairy Tail.

"Would you please tell me what's going on before I get hit in the balls again?" he asked her with a pleading look sent her way.

"Did you happen to run into Happy before you made it to the guild?" she asked him back and got a nod of agreement from him. "Well that explains why you seemed shocked to see Akari and also not know what is going on here." she stated in a tired tone.

"It's pretty obvious isn't it? Natsu and my daughter were sneaking around together behind my back and now have a daughter." he replied while pointing over at Cana and Akari, only to cower at the glare he was now receiving from her.

"You've only been gone for a little over half a year you idiot! So please tell me how it would be possible for me and Natsu to have a kid around a year old already? And even if we did your first thought is to attack him!" Cana asked him while still glaring daggers at him as she continued to try and get Akari to stop whimpering and hiding her face against her.

"I don't know, maybe I accidentally got trapped in another Fairy Sphere and lost a few more years." he answered while rubbing the back of his head nervously, now realizing that he might have let his emotions and over protectiveness of her cloud his better judgement. And all she could do to his response was roll her eyes at him and go back to trying to soothe Akari with tender words and telling her that Natsu was fine. Something that she honestly didn't know if it was true since Gildarts hit him pretty hard, but given his track record she knew that he would soon be most likely charging back in upset at her father for landing a cheap shot like that.

"If that did happen Gildarts than they really wouldn't have been doing it behind your back since you disappeared." pointed out Carla with a smug grin as Gildarts didn't know how to reply to that. "But I think it would probably be better for everyone if I filled you in on exactly what you've missed out while you were gone." she said before doing exactly what she said she would.

"Wow, all of that really happened while I was gone?" he asked as the white Exceed nodded her head. "Okay but that really doesn't explain why she's dressed like that and in his bed with him." he stated while gesturing at his daughter over his shoulder, not wanting to see her like this anymore than he had to.

"I honestly can't explain how that happened, but I can assure you that the two of them didn't do anything last night." replied Carla, noticing the appreciative smile that Cana gave her after hearing her say that. "As to why she's still like this that would be because of Happy trying to stir up trouble like he just did." she said while starting to back away from him.

Gildarts was about to ask her way she was doing that all of a sudden but before he could a flaming orange mass smashed into him and sent him out of the hole he entered through. "Not very nice being blindsided like that is it Gildarts?" asked Natsu as he now stood where Gildarts once stood only just moments ago.

"Dada!" cheered Akari as she started to reach out for him.

"Hi, Akari, I would love to hold you, but daddy has to teach Gildarts that it isn't nice to attack someone for no good reason in their own home." he replied while giving her a tender pat on the head.

"But didn't you used to always attack him like that when you were younger?" asked Cana with a little smirk.

"Yeah but I was trying to prove that I was as strong as him, and it was only just him there whenever I did that." he stated while cracking his neck and rolling his shoulders.

"Dada!" cheered Akari again now smiling at him.

"Yep, your daddy is going to go let off a little steam. So be a good little dragon for me and don't give Cana too much trouble while I'm gone." he said while fire once again started to swirl around him. Just as Gildarts came into view as he started to enter through the hole made in the wall as if it was the appropriate entrance.

"Hey, Natsu, Carla filled me in on what…" started Gildarts but he got cut off when Natsu shouted **FIRE DRAGON'S SWORD HORN** and rammed into him resulting in the two of them then disappearing from the view of the other three.

"Dada?" questioned Akari as she looked up at Cana.

"He'll be fine, actually this might be exactly what he needs since he hasn't gotten to do something like this in a while." she replied as a few explosions went off just outside of the house.

"Happy is going to get the worst scolding of his life for causing this." remarked Carla as she started to inspect the damage to the house.

"You got that right." agreed Cana as she started to try and figure out the best way to punish the blue Exceed.

"Hap?" asked Akari as she looked between the two of them.

"Don't worry about him dear, he's definitely earned a severe punishment for almost getting you hurt." declared the Exceed with a tender smile. "And don't you think it's about time to put on some appropriate clothes?" she asked while looking at the brunette with an incredulous look on her face, causing said woman to let out a little giggle as she got up to go and do exactly that.

"Since Natsu is no longer here I guess you're right, Carla." she replied while heading into the hallway and then going to the guest room.

"I'm surprised that you are being this upfront with him." stated the Exceed as she followed to two of them. "But I would've definitely waited until Akari wasn't with the two of you at least." she said in a disapproving tone.

"First off, Carla, I didn't plan any of this and he still probably doesn't even realize any of us are into him that way. And just so you know, nothing inappropriate happened except for him seeing my girls which isn't even that bad considering how much he's seen Lucy's." stated the card mage as she tried to find her bag in the small guest room, but couldn't locate it for some reason.

"Mama, baba." said Akari as she poked her in the face.

"In a minute honey, I just need to figure out where I put my things." she replied, now getting slightly angry at not being able to locate them.

"I'll go and grab them from the other room." said Carla as she took flight and headed back into Natsu's destroyed room, returning a few seconds later with two bottles.

"Here you go, and seriously why can't I find my bag?" asked Cana as she started to feed Akari one of the bottles.

"I'm guessing that Happy decided to snag that as well so you would be left in your current state in case someone happened to stop by." answered the white Exceed with a faint smile, seeing how Happy could find this funny given how easy it was to get Fairy Tail mages riled up.

"Why that little twerp." she hissed out. "I'm going to make sure he doesn't get any fish from anyone for at least a week." she declared as Carla couldn't help but snicker at how upset her fellow Exceed was going to be once he found this out.

"Well we can't have you walking around like this all day even if you're completely fine with it." stated Carla with a smug look.

"Hey, I'm not at all fine walking around like this for all of Magnolia to stare at." she snapped back at the Exceed.

"But it's okay if it's just Natsu?" asked Carla in a smug and superior tone.

"Yes, and I don't think you have any room to judge me since you've been sleeping with Happy for months now." she argued back while giving her a heated glare.

"And that is all we've ever done." stated Carla now glaring back at her.

"Same for us so let's just leave it at that." she said as both of their glares lessoned noticeably.

"Fine, and I guess you'll just have to wear some of Natsu's things until either Happy comes back with yours or we swing by your place for some different ones." she suggested as they headed back to the room that they were all sleeping in earlier that morning.

"Dada?" asked Akari as a louder explosion than the previous ones rang out.

"Yep, both of our daddies don't really know the meaning of taking it easy." said Cana with a little chuckle as Carla started to go through Natsu's clothes for her since she was a little preoccupied with Akari at the moment.

"Foo!" cheered the little girl happily, clearly not too concerned about her father after eating and wanting more.

"She really does have his appetite doesn't she." stated Carla as she tossed some of Natsu's clothes on the bed and headed back to the kitchen for some of Akari's baby food.

"That she does, but it's just because she's still a growing little girl. So what food would you like to have today?" she asked while looking down at the little girl smiling back up at her in a pink little onesie, with Natsu's scarf lazily wrapped around her.

"Foo Foo!" cheered Akari loud enough for Carla to hear her from the kitchen thanks to the holes going through most of the walls in the small house.

"Did you hear that, Carla?" asked the brunette as she slipped on one of Natsu's vests and pair of his pants that he was usually seen in.

"I did, and I also found something that should help out with your current lack of proper clothing." answered the Exceed as she reappeared with a few containers of baby food and a large roll of white cloth that looked similar to what Erza used while only wearing pants and no other form of armor.

"And what exactly do you expect me to do with this?" she asked as the two traded items and she was now left holding the roll of white cloth.

"Wrap yourself up since I highly doubt that Natsu has a spare bra for you laying around." replied Carla already in the process of feeding a surprisingly still hungry Akari.

"I guess this is better than nothing, and now I don't have to button up the vest." she stated with a little smirk as she started to wrap herself up, which was actually harder than she thought it would be.

"I would prefer it if you did have it closed, but considering that your usually top is just a bikini top this is actually an improvement." stated Carla as continued to help feed Akari.

"I'm starting to think I should just wear a bikini and see if I can convince some of the other girls at the guild to join me." she replied with a smirk as Carla stopped just an inch away from giving Akari the next spoonful and turned to look at her with a look of horror.

"Please don't." begged Carla, not wanting Wendy to have to deal with that when she was already extremely self-conscious about her body as it is.

"As long as you stop making comments about my outfits." countered the card mage with a proud smirk spread across her face since she was now done with wrapping her chest so that they were comfy while also containing her girls from prying eyes.

"Deal." agreed Carla as she was about to go back to feeding Akari, only to realize that the small girl already ate what she had on the spoon and was patiently waiting for more.

"These are surprisingly comfy." stated Cana now standing in front of a mirror and checking herself out in it. "No wonder he has enough of them to wear a different one for two weeks straight." she said while doing a little spin in them and coming to the realization that they slightly hid her ass thanks to how baggy the pants are on her.

"Does he even change them?" asked the Exceed in an inquisitive tone as she glanced the other woman's way.

"Considering that these smell clean and it took you a while to find them I would assume so." she replied while making a few slight adjustment to the pants she had already slipped off herself.

"Good point, but he definitely needs to do his laundry soon." stated Carla with a disgusted look as she remembered the pile of dirty clothes in the corner of the closet. But considering how clean he actually kept the rest of his place since getting Akari, she really didn't feel the need to lecture him on it.

"It seems like the two of them have quieted down." she pointed out as both of them stopped what they were doing. They both were now straining their ears, hoping to pick up at least some sort of sound from the two that used to be destroying all of the forest just seconds ago.

"Do you think they've finally started talking with each other?" asked Carla, once again looking back to an empty spoon and a smiling little girl that was trying to look innocent.

"That would be a first for the two of them; I'm betting that Gildarts ended up knocking him out and is probably carrying him back as we speak. But didn't you already see all of this in one of your visions?" she asked back since she actually didn't really know how the Exceed's ability actually worked.

"Nope, I only saw up to Natsu hitting Gildarts out of here with his head as the two of them disappeared from our line of sight." she explained while starting to put away the baby food that she brought.

"Mama, up!" cheered Akari while reaching out from the bed with both of her pudgy little hands.

"Okay Akari, do you want to go and see what our daddies are up to right now?" she asked with a bright smile as she scooped up the little girl since she was done adjusting the pants more to her liking and already slipped them back on.

"Dada!" declared Akari as she pointed to the hole that he and Gildarts exited through in a ball of fire.

"Alright let's go find those two idiots." replied Cana with a little chuckle as they headed towards the hole.

"There won't be any need for that." stated Gildarts as he appeared in the hole with Natsu slung over his shoulder. He once again completely forgot about the little girl that he had only found out about just a few minutes ago.

"Dada." called out the little girl in an obviously scared tone.

"You colossal moron." stated Cana as she glared at her father. "Put him down on the bed and then go to a corner and don't say or do anything until I tell you to." she finished in a deadly serious tone, which caused Gildarts to do exactly as he was told. Afraid that if he didn't she might completely disown him as a father and never let him speak with her again.

"Dada, up." said Akari in a quiet whimper as Cana set her down next to the passed out Natsu since the little girl was doing everything she could to get to him.

"Sorry, Honey, but he can't hear you right now." replied Cana with a frown, that was only gone so she could give her father another deadly glare.

"Dada." she said one more time now starting to cry as she hugged his neck as tightly as her little arms could.

"Shh, it's okay, Akari. Your daddy isn't going anywhere, he just needs a little rest." replied Natsu as he brought his arms around her protectively. Needless to say all of the other people in the room were shocked at this turn of events, none more so than Akari who let out a happy little squeal as she continued to hug him as hard as she possibly could.

"Well I'll be damned; I thought he would be out for at least another two hours." stated Gildarts as he let out a low whistle. Something that he regretted when his daughter rounded on him with a look of complete rage after hearing him utter that.

"Why in the world would you hurt him to that extent?" asked Cana while stalking towards him and cracking her knuckles menacingly.

"Because he wouldn't have stayed down otherwise, I'm actually really impressed with how strong he's gotten since the last time we saw each other." he replied while covering his balls just in case his daughter decided to attack him there again, and judging by the look she was currently giving him it wasn't too farfetched. "Just look at what he was actually able to do to me during our little fight." he quickly said while gesturing to himself.

And upon closer inspection of him you could see that it actually looked like he was in a legit fight, having a few scrapes and bruises on his exposed skin. Not only that but some of his clothes had slight singes and charred areas on them, clearly pointing to the pink haired man being responsible for it. This for some reason made Cana happy, probably because she knew that overcoming Gildarts has been one of Natsu's goals ever since they first met each other. And today the fire dragon slayer got one step closer to accomplishing that goal of his, even if it would always come after protecting Akari.

"It does look as if he got in a few good hits." she replied with a smirk coming over her face as Gildarts started to rub his now bruised jaw. "But this is the last time that the two of you will be fighting each other for a while, am I making myself clear?" she asked while looking between the two of them.

"I promise, anything to make you happy." answered Gildarts with a smile. This caused both of them to look over expectantly at Natsu still spread out on the bed with Akari hugging his throat for dear life. But they didn't get a response from him after waiting for a few moments in silence.

"Natsu, please don't tell me you still want to fight him after the fight you two already had?" she asked while coming over to the bed. Which allowed her to see that he was actually in a worse state than she initially thought he was after he woke up to comfort his daughter. So with a look of concern she turned to ask Carla if she would go and bring Wendy back to help him recover faster than he would on his own. But when she looked at the spot that used to contain the Exceed she was met with nothing, making her let out a sigh of relief since Caral was most likely already looking for Wendy.

"He's probably just asleep again." stated Gildarts as he started to head over to them. But he came to a stop when the two remaining girls in the room started to glare at him, something that he expected to receive from his own daughter. Although he really didn't anticipate receiving one from the little girl that was only about a year old if he had to guess.

"That better be what's going on with him right now, because if you hurt him more than that you might as well not step foot in the guildhall for at least a month." replied Cana as she took a seat on the bed with Natsu and started to check out his wounds. Dressing any of them that were within her skill level, which was surprisingly most of them thanks to his overall durability and skill in combat.

"Why wouldn't I want to go into the guild if he was injured like he usually is after our fights?" he asked with an eyebrow raised, already having a pretty good idea why but just wanted to be sure.

"The girls are extremely protective of Akari." mumbled out Natsu while still having his eyes closed. This caused Akari to let out another excited squeal as she continued to hug him, but unfortunately for Natsu it caused the brunette treating him to have an irritated look come over her face.

"Were you ignoring my earlier question?" she asked while giving him a stern look that he couldn't even see.

"Nope, I was kind of going in and out there for a little while." he replied while slowly opening his eyes and starting to try and get into a sitting position. But before he could make any progress two firm hands held him in place, hands that belonged to the resident card mage who was now giving him a concerned look.

"Natsu, you need to rest, so stay still." she said in a commanding tone, slightly surprised when the stubborn dragon slayer actually did as she said.

"Fine, but only for a few more minutes." he mumbled back while closing his eyes again.

"Good, now let me go back to treating your wounds." she stated while grabbing a few more bandages from the first aid kit that she had to assume Carla brought into the room before she left to look for Wendy.

"So would either of you like to explain what exactly I walked in on?" asked Gildarts once again having a serious expression as he looked at the two of them. Making sure to take note of how the two of them reacted when he asked them upfront like this, and was actually surprised by his daughter's response. Or it might be more accurate to say lack of response, since she pretended to not hear him as a small blush tinted her checks as she continued to work on the wounded man beside her.

"No one in their right mind would call what you did just walking in." retorted Natsu with a smug grin slightly appearing on his face.

"Fine, but what did you really think I would do after hearing from Happy that you two slept together last night?" he asked back with an unamused look taking over his face.

"That the flying fur ball is up to his usual antics." answered Cana while not looking back at him because of her slight blush that she hoped he hadn't noticed yet.

"I would agree with you on that if I hadn't see what I did once I got here." he argued back while giving Natsu a deadly glare, but stopped when he noticed that Akari seemed to be glaring back at him with just as much intensity as he was. And he also could have sworn that she bared her teeth at him that looked to have fangs just like her father, only smaller.

"Cana couldn't fall asleep last night so we started to chat until we both finally drifted off." replied Natsu in a tired tone that sounded slightly irritated to the other two.

"Okay I guess that is a reasonable enough of an excuse." he said with a little smirk.

"It's not an excuse you, old geezer." stated Natsu, causing Gildarts to have an upset expression quickly come over his face for being called old. But he decided to let that slid and try and figure out the part that had him really concerned, which was his daughter's attire when he came blasting in.

"So why was she only in her panties?" he asked with a sneer, once again getting a similar expression from the little girl in Natsu's arms as she stared him down.

"That I actually can't explain, or why she's now wearing my usual clothes." answered Natsu in a confused tone as he also cracked one of his eyes to look at the brunette that was currently wrapping his last wound. And he couldn't help but think she looked good in his clothes, actually not just good but drop dead gorgeous in his opinion. Her well-toned stomach that was on full display like normal but this time with his vest around it, that was also around her wrapped chest that somehow made them look even bigger than before if that was possible. And finally to his pants that now looked shorter and a whole lot tighter since they showed off her slender thighs and supple ass.

"Well, Cana, would you care to enlighten the two of us?" Gildarts asked her with a little smirk since she was clearly embarrassed about all of this, so much so that she stopped what she was doing. And the three of them remained there in silence for a few minutes as Cana tried to get her head in order, and she only seemed to find her confidence after noticing the small reassuring grin Natsu was giving her.

Making her slightly regret what she was going to say next since it was going to push the blame back to him. "I'm guessing that it became too hot in here last night so I took the rest of my clothes off while we were asleep." she replied as Natsu gave her a weird look since she only lost a shirt last night and nothing else unlike what she just made it sound like. "As for why I'm wearing this outfit, that would be due to Happy stealing all of my stuff and taking off with it before I could change." she finished while giving Natsu an apologetic smile that only confused him more than he already was.

"Natsu, as soon as your daughter is no longer in your hands. We're going to have to have a few words, man to man." said Gildarts as he tried to contain his anger at the dragon slayer that sneakily got his daughter into bed with him and removed the rest of her clothes in what some could see as an innocent way. Something he would have been proud of if Natsu had done it to any girl other than his own daughter.

But before Natsu could even respond to him, Cana decided to help him out since she definitely was the reason he was in his current position. "No you won't, dad, you promised me that the two of you wouldn't fight each other. And judging from Akari's current state I don't think that is going to be happening anytime soon, and who could blame her when a Neanderthal attacks her father for no reason." she declared while glaring at him and giving a quick wave to the little girl still clutching Natsu like there was no tomorrow.

"We were only going to have a little chat." he said while raising his arms up defensively.

"Sure you were, like anyone would believe that the two of you could actually chat without it ending in a fight that Natsu will lose." she replied while still glaring at him.

"Hey, you don't know that I'll lose and just so you know me and your old man have had plenty of conversations that don't end in a fight." stated Natsu while giving Cana a little glare. The other two looked at each other in disbelief, leave it to their resident fire dragon slayer to defend the man that was clearly upset with him but that is probably because he didn't realize that yet. And after realizing this Gildarts couldn't help himself from starting to chuckle at how worked up he was getting with Natsu of all people. Someone that he knew wouldn't do anything that could possibly hurt a person he considers his friend. This caused Cana and Natsu to now give each other a shocked look at this odd turn of events.

"You got that right, Natsu, just look at what you were actually able to do against me when I was upset with you." chuckled Gildarts.

"You were upset with me?" he asked back with a confused look as he got up into a sitting position with his back against the headboard of his bed.

"That I was, but now I see that I was a complete idiot for being that way with you. Although I think you and me should definitely have a talk about something very important." he replied with a sly grin.

Hearing this caused Cana's eyes to shoot open and have a slight panic attack. "Gildarts, you better not be planning to tell him what I think you are." she said with a prominent blush spread across her face that only made Gildarts grin grow wider.

"Judging by your expression, Honey, I can say that I'm definitely not telling him what you think I am." he replied, which resulted with her now having a slightly confused expression on her face. "He needs to learn about the birds and the bees from someone experienced in that area, but now that I'm thinking about it I might also have to give him a few warning about if he does something to hurt you." he continued with a little chuckle as a look of horror came over his daughter's face once again after hearing this.

"I have no idea what you mean about the birds and the bees since I've seen both of them plenty, but I will never do anything to hurt Cana." stated Natsu while looking straight at Gildarts with a determined look in his eyes.

"I know you won't so I guess we can skip that part." he chuckled back as Cana remained silent and was currently trying to hide her blush that only grew after Natsu declaring so confidently that he would never hurt her.

"Good, so why in the world did you attack me randomly? That is definitely something I am a little more likely to do than you are." asked Natsu as he got Akari to let go of his neck and get back into her usual position.

"You'll figure that out once Akari there is a little older." replied the crash mage as he noticed that the little girl wasn't taking her eyes off of him. And what concerned him even more than that was the fact that she looked upset with him as she continued to slightly glare at him.

"I'll take your word on that I guess, so what caused you to be late?" asked Natsu while giving him a look that Gildarts had never actually seen on the boy before. And it was a look of disappointment, one that he figured out was because he didn't keep his promise to his daughter who Natsu gave a quick glance to before looking back at him waiting for an answer.

"Yeah about that." chuckled out Gildarts nervously as he rubbed the back of his head. "I accidentally got banned from all trains in Fiore." he finished as a little laugh escaped Natsu's lips while Cana turned on him with an upset look on her face.

"And how in the world did you accomplish that?" she asked, knowing that it most likely resulted from him not being too careful with his magic.

"I destroyed a good chunk of one of their stations and a train by accident." he replied while no longer being able to look at her in the eyes.

"Good riddance if you ask me, just one less death trap out there." stated Natsu with a huge grin plastered across his face as he laughed at what he just heard.

"I would hope that it was by accident, and why are you laughing at this now that you no longer get sick on them?" she asked while giving Natsu a glare for finding all of this funny.

"You don't get sick anymore?" asked Gildarts with a shocked expression.

"I don't know about that just yet, but so far I've been completely fine with them as long as I've got Akari here with me." he replied while lifting the arm she was nestled in slightly. "And she's being awfully quiet for some reason, what's going on with my little dragon?" he asked while smiling down at her.

"I think she doesn't like me." stated Gildarts now feeling slightly nervous that she was still glaring at him.

"I wonder why?" asked Cana sarcastically as she moved over next to Natsu and Akari on their right side, using the headboard as a backrest.

"Well we can't have that now can we?" he asked while giving Akari's tummy a little tickle, but was shocked when she didn't start to laugh like she usually did. "Okay, I really didn't expect that." he mumbled with a slight frown.

"Here let me try something." replied Gildarts as he got closer to them and then proceeded to make weird faces. Some of which, both Cana and Natsu didn't think any little child would ever like seeing from him. "Well I'm all out of ideas." he said with a slight frown as he stood back up straight, not even getting the slightest smile from the little girl.

"I'm more surprised you didn't make her start crying with some of those faces." stated Cana with a smirk from her spot next to Natsu, once again using his shoulder as a head rest. Something that Gildarts wanted to comment on but thought better of it considering what he had already done this morning.

"I think I've got something that might work." said Natsu with his usual grin spread across his face. "Akari darling, I need you to look at me." he said, causing his little girl to finally stop staring at Gildarts and look up at him with a small smile. This shocked Gildarts because he was honestly starting to think that the little girl might not be able to smile, which would have just been wrong if she is Natsu's daughter.

"What happened this morning was just Gildarts and I having a little fun so you can't hold it against him." he said as a look of surprise came over her adorable little face.

After looking up at him with that look her expression went back to an upset one as she turned away from him. And she said "No." which caused Natsu and Cana to have surprised looks of their own.

"I didn't even know she knew that word." stated Cana still having a shocked expression.

"Me either, now come on, Akari, you can't be mad at him for this." he said while giving her a pleading look.

"No." replied Akari as she went back to glaring at Gildarts.

"She seems to be just as stubborn as you are." pointed out Gildarts with a little grin on his lips.

"No kidding, okay daddy's little dragon are you telling me that you're going to be upset with your grandpa forever?" he asked, completely disregarding the shocked looks that Cana and Gildarts where giving him at hearing this. He was completely focused on his stubborn little girl that now looked at him with a look of disbelief as her head went back and forth between the two males in the room.

And she finally stopped doing this as she looked up at him questioningly while pointing at Gildarts with her pudgy little hand. "Yep, Akari, I would like to formally introduce you to your grandpa Gildarts." he replied while picking her up and handing her over to a shocked Gildarts. Who really didn't know how to hold her so he just kept her about a foot away from him as they looked into each other's eyes, which they did for a few quiet and extremely awkward seconds.

"Hi there Akari." said Gildarts while giving her a nervous smile since this was way out of his comfort zone.

"Dada!" said Akari in an upset tone as she tried to turn away from Gildarts and go back to Natsu. This caused the Ace of Fairy Tail to have a slightly hurt look wash over him as Natsu took back his daughter from him, but was thrown off when both Natsu and Cana started to chuckle to themselves.

"What's so funny about her not liking me?" he asked while glaring at the two that pretty much looked like a couple with how they were sitting in the bed together.

"We're laughing for the exact opposite reason." replied Cana as she gestured to Akari who was no longer glaring at Gildarts like she was up till now and was happily playing with one of her toys that Natsu grabbed for her. This of course didn't really clear anything up for Gildarts, which he made clear to them by having a confused look on his face.

"Akari here, only lets a very select group of people hold her without crying or throwing a temper tantrum like she has been recently. So her just asking for me is the best you could've hoped for given that the first thing she saw you do was attack me." explained Natsu with a little smirk. "And if I'd have to guess, she's definitely going to make you work to get on her good side." he stated while smiling down at the girl he was talking about.

"I can live with that I guess." stated Gildarts with a smirk of his own as he looked at the three of them, not being able to deny that they looked like a happy little family at the moment. "But I don't know about this whole Grandpa thing?" he asked still smirking.

"What's not to get?" asked Natsu with a confused look.

"I thought that Makarov would be her grandpa." he pointed out, already imagining how upset Makarov would be to hear another young mage calling him that.

"No he's her great grandpa." answered Natsu as Gildarts couldn't stop the disappointed look coming over his face at hearing that it was pretty much already decided in the dragon slayer's mind that he was now a grandpa. Something that apparently Cana found very entertaining if you went by her giggling at all of this, but he then quickly realized how upset Makarov might be once he learns that he'll be called great gramps by the little girl once she's older.

"I guess I can live with that, especially since it might actually be the truth in a little bit." he said while giving Cana a sly grin as the poor girl started to blush up a storm again at what he just insinuated.

"It already is since I've kind of always seen you as a second father of mine." replied Natsu as he didn't even bother to look up at Gildarts since he was preoccupied with his little one at the moment.

"Thanks Natsu, I've also seen you as the son I've never had. Well I guess I've already caused enough damage here and should probably head to the guild and check in with Master." he said while giving his daughter a knowing look and a quick thumbs up before heading to the exit he made when first showing up today.

"Wait a minute Gildarts, you own me some jewels to pay for all of this." stated Natsu as he glared at the older man and gestured to his destroyed room and badly damaged house.

"About that, I'm kind of a little strapped in the whole jewel department area after destroying that train and station." he chuckled while not stopping on his way out of there.

"Like I give a crap old man, I'm running on a tight budget right now and there is no way I'm going to let you walk away after doing this to my place." declared a slightly angry dragon slayer as he got up out of the bed to the displeasure of a certain brunette.

"What was that? I think I just heard Master calling for me, so I guess we'll have to talk about all of this later." replied Gildarts before taking off at a brisk jog with a little chuckle.

"Is he seriously not going to pay for any of this?" he asked with an astonished look coming over his face.

"It would appear so, but I'm confident that the three of us can change his mind on that. Isn't that right Akari?" asked Cana while giving the girl a big smile.

Akari did one of her own straight back at Cana while giggling and clapping her hands together. And she finally finished it off by pointing in the direction that Gildarts fled in and cheered happily "Dada! Mama!"

This caused Natsu to let out a little chuckle before taking off with the two determined women, that he had a feeling were both intent on seeing Gildarts in a little more pain than he already was today. Something that he honestly wouldn't mind since the man did destroy his home and take off without even apologizing for it.

 **End of Chapter**

 **Author's Notes:**

 **There you go everyone, as always I really hope you enjoyed it. So it might seem that Cana was a little forward in this chapter and might have not acted proper, but I've always seen her as one of the women that is extremely confident in her looks and if she did find herself in a situation like this she would decide to have a little fun with it like I had her do. So just a little heads up for the next chapter, it will be a Natsu and Kagura chapter with some other things going on of course. And after that chapter I'll probably wait until the end of the one after it to stop taking in your suggestions on if this should be a harem or not. Or who he should be paired up with if it isn't, and once that happens I will not be posting the results since I like a few others out there like a little bit of mystery. Well I guess that sums it all up for these notes, so as always feel free to leave a review or PM and I'll get back to you when I have some free time.**

 **Oh and if you would like me to update faster or possibly start a new story I have information about that on my profile page so head on over there and take a look.**

 **Until the next Chapter**

 **Digem Out!**


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